Heartlines
by Lass Cherrie
Summary: Red and Leaf are perfect for each other. Just ask anyone - except Blue. When Red proposes, Blue and Leaf's already complicated relationship gets even weirder when she asks him to be her maid of honour. The result? A very messy knot of tangled feelings, of course! / Burningleaf. Conflicting. A love story in three parts. M for lemon. Game-verse.
1. Part One

**A/N: **Greetings, reader!

I need to give you some background history for this story. I was in the process of writing _These Words_ when I got into discussion with Moon Lily91 about Leaf and Blue, and Leaf and Blue together, and Leaf and Blue smut, and other such fun things. We decided somewhere along the way that we'd make a pact and both write some first-timer ConflictingShipping smut. (If you want to check out hers, it's called _The First Time_.)

Some quick information:

This is the first part of a two-part story. Characters may seem OOC because I've aged them about ten years and they're much more mature. They actually age over the course of the story, too - it takes place over several years. Please keep in mind, also, that this is _my_ interpretation of each of the characters, and it may differ slightly to yours. Another thing to pay attention to while reading: the tense shifts from present to past, and that's intentional. If there's any confusion regarding jumps in time, I'll happily clear it up for you. Finally, this story contains **BurningleafShipping** and **ConflictingShipping**. It's rated M for mature themes, occasional language (used reasonably) and sexual references.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own pokemon, _All This and Heaven Too_ and _Heartlines_ by Florence + the Machine, or _Lego House_ by Ed Sheeran.

This is quite a chunky read, so settle in with a hot chocolate and get comfy! :) Happy reading.

* * *

**H . E . A . R . T . L . I . N . E . S**

* * *

**Part One**

_and the heart is hard to translate; it has a language of its own_

* * *

Her hands shake as she reaches for the kettle. She fumbles with it, spilling hot water over the lip of the mug. It pools on the counter, streaking for the edge. But she doesn't notice; she stirs the contents absently, her tangled thoughts elsewhere.

Movement behind her causes her heartbeat to kick up. After a few wild jerks it settles into a solid pound in her chest, thumping anxiously against her ribcage. She sucks in a shuddery breath. His presence makes the already small kitchen seem even smaller.

But she's not brave enough to face him yet. If she turns around, who knows what might happen.

_Oh, who am I trying to fool?_

She knows exactly what will happen, and so does he – neither of them are idiots. She's just struggling to come to terms with the reality of it. After all this time, he's suddenly no longer out of reach, though it still feels dizzyingly like a dream.

* * *

Leaf was stopping over at an isolated Pokémon Centre in the mountains on the fateful night that changed her life.

It had been an unremarkable day; she'd spent it training hard with her team in the merciless terrain of the rugged mountain ranges, and had made satisfying progress. She'd just checked and left her pokémon for a well-deserved rest with Nurse Joy when a couple of trainers in the lounge turned up the volume, crowding round the small TV in spite of the bad reception. Gradually the chatter in the lounge died, all attention focusing on the newsreader's distorted voice.

Leaf's feet walked her closer. She sank onto a sofa, eyes riveted to the screen. It was the late night broadcast, and the top story was about a challenger at the Indigo Plateau.

Leaf sucked in a breath, biting her bottom lip, stomach wriggling with nerves. Red. He was challenging the reigning Champion this morning – she'd been thinking about it all day.

It had been speculated about all week. Critics were expecting it to be one of the greatest battles for Kanto championship in history: small-town hero Red taking on his life-long rival and childhood best friend, Blue – current Champion, undefeated since assuming the title a mere few weeks ago, and a dominating force of pure power. He and his team were totally in sync, at the top of their game, and completely confident in their abilities.

But Red had always been destined for greatness. Ever since his journey began, everyone had expected him to strive to heights of extraordinary achievement. And he'd yet to let anybody down.

Leaf had known it would be a battle of epic proportions; Pallet Town's golden boy up against the grandson of supremely successful Professor Oak. Both had tremendous pressure on their shoulders. Both had everything riding on victory. Neither could afford to lose. She'd only wished she could have been there to see it.

She waited with bated breath for the result of their gargantuan clash, unsure of exactly how she was hoping it had turned out.

"And the reign of mighty Kanto Champion, Blue Oak, grandson of the respected professor, was brought to a dramatic end today when he was taken on by fellow Pallet-born hero Red {surname}, in a battle that will surely make the Indigo Plateau wall of fame."

Leaf's breath expelled in a quick gush, mind reeling. She didn't hear the rest of the report.

Red won. He beat Blue.

She wasn't sure which would be greater: Red's elation at the rain of praise and opportunities and glory that would follow his victory, or Blue's utter devastation (though he'd hardly admit, let alone show, it) at his defeat. She knew it would make him feel like a failure in the eyes of his grandfather and every other critic who ever scrutinised him, and her heart bled for him.

She was evenly divided; simultaneously happy for Red – and so proud of him – and aching for the turmoil that must be raging within Blue's heart.

* * *

"Leaf…"

She feels him close in behind her and says nothing. Her tongue is glued fast to the roof of her mouth; it feels swollen and suffocating. His chuckle fills the kitchen. "You're making a huge mess."

She bites her lip nervously, studiously keeping her eyes on the tea cup. When his fingers brush the hair from her neck, lightly skimming her shoulder, shivers scuttle down her arms. She can hear him breathing behind her.

She shrugs him off weakly. "Don't."

But it's a pathetic protest; his fingers drop from her neck to trail down her spine, suddenly hyper-sensitive beneath her sweater. She spins quickly, grabbing his hand with a grip that's vicelike in her nerves, and throws it away hastily.

Their eyes lock, soft, wavering hazel on confident brown. They're normally so cocky, filled with a self-assurance she always knew she'd never feel. But tonight there's nothing smug in his expression; his face is serious, all traces of mockery gone. It makes him look older.

She hadn't been expecting this version of him, and is subsequently thrown off-balance; she sucks in a sharp breath in her surprise, and stares at him in confusion, lost for words.

* * *

She tried his cell three times. He finally picked up on the fourth, with an audible sigh. "What is it, Leaf?"

Leaf jerked a little, affronted. She tried not to sound too offended; after all, what had she been expecting? A cheery 'hello'? "I'm just calling to see how you are."

"How do you think I am?" he retorted sarcastically. "You're not an idiot – mostly."

Leaf swallowed her irritation. "I know how you must be feeling–"

"No, you don't," he snapped bitterly. "You have no idea at all."

"Look," she began hotly, "You don't have to be so rude about it. I'm just _trying _to help."

But he'd already hung up; the line was dead. Leaf growled into the phone and slammed the receiver down, glaring furiously at the black screen before her.

For some reason, she'd wanted to see his face – maybe because she knew it would be a different version of him tonight, one stripped of the cocky self-assurance he always wore like a thick cloak. But he'd refused her video call; she'd had to settle for voice only.

She wouldn't hear from him – no-one would – for weeks.

x

"Hey!" Leaf looked up from the menu, heart leaping. The voice was very familiar, and she'd been dying to hear it for months now. She jumped up hastily from her table in the sun, her hopeful eyes catching sight of Red, lanky as ever, striding cheerfully toward her, the widest smile in the world plastered across his face.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, skipping over gleefully to throw herself into his readily waiting arms. He hugged her tightly; the embrace of two close friends separated for far too long. They pulled apart to grin goofily at each other.

"You need a haircut," Leaf remarked.

He pointedly flicked his shaggy black locks out of his eyes. "I know. I'll get to it. Things have been kind of hectic lately."

She laughed. "I'll bet. I'm dying to hear all about it." She began to drag him back toward the table, but he pulled on her arm, stopping her in her tracks. She turned back in surprise. "What's wrong?"

He looked suddenly nervous, which made him seem like the boy she remembered growing up with, shy and unsure all the time, needing guidance and assurance before he ever did anything. She hadn't seen him like that for a long time, and immediately decided it didn't suit him anymore.

"I need to talk to you about something."

The smile dropped from Leaf's lips. "What is it? Is… everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah," he said with a hasty laugh. Warmth flooded his cheeks; two high spots of red. He looked down at his feet. "It's nothing bad, or anything." He swallowed nervously. She stared at him in astonishment. What in the world was going on?

"I just," he began, his voice unsteady, the words rushing together. "I really missed you while I was away."

He glanced up at her quickly, insecure, and a warm fuzzy feeling flooded her heart. She smiled affectionately. "I missed you, too. You were gone for ages – I was starting to forget what you looked like!" She stuck her tongue out playfully.

He swallowed again. "I know – it was too long. I…" He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, face blazing red. "I didn't like it." She opened her mouth to ask exactly what he meant by that, but he kept going, incidentally answering her unspoken question. "Being away… from _you_… for so long."

Leaf's mouth snapped closed. She couldn't believe her ears.

From every angle, it looked like Red was trying to confess that he had _feelings _for her – but surely she was just jumping to ridiculous conclusions, like usual. He'd treated her like a sister since they were kids. He hadn't even _noticed _when she'd developed that embarrassingly long crush on him – and it had lasted for _years_!

No, it couldn't be. Not now, after all this time…

"Red–"

"Things have been going so well," he steamrolled on, hardly hearing her. "There's been so much happening. I've met so many cool people and amazing trainers. And so many awesome pokémon. But I miss you – all the time. Like… like you wouldn't even believe. And I've been thinking–" He risked another glance at her, like he wasn't sure how she'd react. But she said nothing; she had no idea how to even respond. "–how great it would be if you could be there to experience it – you know, with me."

He fell silent. Leaf's heart jerked madly in her chest. Surely he didn't mean…?

She struggled and found her voice. It came out embarrassingly squeaky. "With you?"

He nodded. His whole head – even his ears and neck – was flushed. Leaf knotted her fingers together – a nervous habit – and avoided his gaze. "Do you mean, like… _with_ you, or–"

"With me," he repeated, and she glanced up daringly. His eyes were wide with earnestness, watching her intently. "It's probably really stupid and weird – and I know I'm kind of making an idiot of myself, but–"

"With you is good," Leaf cut across hastily, saving him from further humiliation. The words fell from his lips. He stared at her incredulously. Her blush suddenly matched his. She reached up to fiddle uncomfortably with her bangs. "Everyone's always said we'd be great together, right?"

A grin the likes of no other cracked his face. "Right. Together."

His fingers twitched at his side, like he thought about reaching out for her, but he shoved his hands hastily in his pockets. Leaf grinned hugely at him, nervousness replaced with sudden, euphoric elation.

She used to dream about this sort of thing happening when she was younger, but that was sort of the whole point: they were always dreams. She'd never actually thought it would happen, and now it was. She hadn't even realised quite how hopeful she'd been. She was practically dizzy with joy.

"So," she said, smiling like the sun had replaced her heart. "How 'bout a coffee? I'm sure you've got loads to tell me."

Red cracked another shy grin and she grabbed his arm. As he let her tug him over to the table, he removed his hand from his pocket, and she deliberately knotted their fingers together.

Together. Leaf and Red. Red and Leaf.

She wondered if anyone would be surprised. She wondered if Blue would be surprised, or maybe even shocked. She wondered if they could still be sort-of-almost-friends after this.

But she couldn't bring herself to think about that right now. For the moment, it was all about Red – and him being with her. And them being together.

The rest would sort itself out later.

* * *

He catches her chin in his gentle hands. Her heart jerks wildly in her chest and she instinctively steps back, but there's nowhere to go. Her heel kicks the cupboard, her fingers catching the lip of the bench to steady herself. A tiny gasp escapes her lips. His eyes fix upon them; he brings his face closer, wordless, his thumb brushing her cheek lightly.

For the tiniest moment, he hesitates, his eyes flicking up to hers at the last second. But she can't remember if she should be protesting or not; her thoughts are jumbled up, her head full of a deafening rushing noise.

The moment his lips touch hers, her heart stops. It's hardly a kiss; his mouth teases at hers, worrying gently at her lips, sending electric shocks shooting through her core. Every muscle is rigid; she stands frozen like a statue, her slamming heart the only part of her body still moving.

* * *

There was no way Leaf could argue that it wasn't exciting watching Red's champion battles in the grand League arena. But she had to admit, after a while, it became a little tiresome, especially when the initial happiness for Red's success started to wear off, and she began to feel nasty little stabs of jealousy.

After all, they used to train together all the time, and she'd been just as good as him then.

Sometimes, she entertained the fantasy of taking him on herself and seeing who truly _was _the better trainer, once and for all – but she knew she'd never really do it. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she beat him; it would destroy his dreams, and she didn't want to be the one who caused him such pain.

She wasn't selfish enough to do that to him.

Having said that – what about her dreams? They'd always wanted the same thing. To be the greatest trainer in the Kanto region. And now he'd gone and done it. Where did that leave her?

She sort of felt like she should give that dream up, now that it was unachievable. Besides, it was a bit hard wanting to keep training and battling when you were living so directly in the shadow of the very best (literally). She couldn't really see the point anymore.

But sitting around watching him being so successful all the time really wasn't helping anything. It was just making her restless and uneasy. She felt like she was being lazy, living his dream with him and not doing anything about her own life – which had just come to a stagnant sort of standstill.

"Are you okay?" Red's voice cut into her thoughts. She looked up, smiling, as he slung an arm round her shoulders. "You're very quiet."

"I know," she replied apologetically. He steered her down the corridor, away from the stands where he'd just defeated his last challenger. "I've been thinking a lot about what I'm going to do this year."

"Oh, yeah?" he asked, interested. "And what are you thinking about? Training again?" He sounded enthusiastic, which only served to make her feel even worse. She wondered idly if it would actually be easier if he was just a massive jerk about being better than her. At least then she could resent him.

Leaf sighed. "Not really. I was actually thinking of going back to school…"

x

Blue spluttered his mouthful of water everywhere, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You're kidding, right?"

She glanced around anxiously; a couple of nearby tables were throwing him disgusted looks. She sank a little lower in her seat, embarrassed, and ignored them. She stared instead at the tea light candle in the middle of the table cloth.

"Why is it such a joke?" she grumbled.

"Leaf," Blue said, putting his glass down purposefully. "You sucked at school. No offense, or anything," he added hastily, when she shot him a hot, indignant glare. "Quitting to be a trainer was always going to be the best thing you ever did."

"Well," she said. "What if I'm done being a trainer now?"

Blue rolled his eyes. "You? Quitting pokémon training? Sure."

"I'm serious," she pressed. "This isn't fair. I mean it, Blue. I've had enough."

He gave her a shrewd look she couldn't quite decipher, and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table. Their dinner went unnoticed. "So what's changed, then?"

Leaf's cheeks warmed. She played dumb. "What do you mean?"

"Something must have happened to change your mind," he went on. "You've been training since you were a kid. Why quit now, all of a sudden?"

She twisted her fingers together in her lap. "It's just so much effort. I'm tired of having to work so hard all the time, just to stay in shape for battles I'm not even having any more. It's exhausting, and it's a waste of time. Besides, it's not like I can do it forever."

"You could if you wanted," Blue muttered under his breath. "If you actually took a serious shot at being a top trainer."

"Get real," Leaf snapped. "All the opportunities are in other regions. There's nothing in Kanto anymore. I'd have to move, and you know I can't leave."

"Yes, what _did _the Perfect Boyfriend have to say about your decision?" Blue asked, a trace of a sneer lacing his voice. He swilled the water in his glass, and for a moment she felt like smacking his insufferable ego back in check with her fist.

But Blue would always have an issue with Red, and she knew that was never going to change. So she was just going to have to take his moodiness whenever Red came up in conversation with a pinch of salt. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to be friends any more, and that simply wasn't an option.

She stiffened a little in her seat, ready to defend her boyfriend. "He was totally supportive of the idea."

Blue snorted. "Of course he was. So long as you're not making something of yourself among the Kanto hot shots, he's cool with whatever you do."

Irritation sparked hot and quick in her chest. "Red's not like that, and you know it. Don't try to turn him into a jerk just because _you_ don't like him."

Blue shook his head to himself. "Think what you want. I bet things would change if you challenged him. I still think you should, for kicks if not anything else."

"And what would be the point of that?" Leaf demanded. "In the highly unlikely event that I actually beat him, I'd just be ripping his dreams from under his nose and taking on a bunch of responsibilities I don't even want. It's not exactly a walk in the park, you know."

The instant she said it, she wished she could take it back. It was such an insensitive, thoughtless thing to say to him. She glanced up and caught his stony glare. Unsurprisingly, his next comment was clipped and frosty. "I was the Champion once, too, remember? I know what it's like."

"I'm sorry," she bleated weakly. "I wasn't thinking…"

"Whatever," he said carelessly, leaning back casually in his seat. The walls were up again, quick as lightning.

She sighed internally. It was so hard to get him to open up and be himself around her, yet all it took was one wrong move – one slip up – and the door was slammed again, faster than she could even blink. Sometimes it was exhausting being friends with Blue, because it was just so damn hard to get close to him.

"The point is," he continued, with indifference. "It seems to me like you're sacrificing your dreams so he can live his, which is something only a total idiot would do."

It was a deliberate stab; he was throwing knives at her to get her back. She should have let it go; been an adult about it. But she didn't. The rage flared up before she could stifle it down, and she let it wash through her veins. Pushing out her chair, she threw down her napkin and stood up, eyes blazing.

"If you think making sacrifices for somebody you love is stupid," she hissed venomously, "Then _you're_ the idiot. Besides, what would _you_ know about love?"

And she stomped from the restaurant without a backward glance. But she knew deep down that she was only so upset because he was right – she _was _sacrificing her dreams for Red – not that she could ever swallow her pride and admit to him.

* * *

His breath is warm against her lips, perfumed with potent red wine. It washes over her, clogging her senses and making her head spin like she's tipsy. It's strangely sexy, she decides, alcohol on his breath – very seductive. It makes him extremely irresistible somehow.

But it's starting to get frustrating, this annoying little teasing game his lips are doing with hers. They're not real kisses, and even though she's probably not supposed to be kissing him, that doesn't mean she doesn't want to. Because she does. And if she'd wanted to before (which she had), it was nothing compared to how much he's making her want to now.

What's worse; he knows he's getting to her. As she glances up at him tentatively, her lips parting slightly in a helpless invitation, a self-satisfied smirk curls the corner of his lips. She bristles, preparing to reprimand him hotly and push him away, but he senses the movement and takes her face more firmly in his hands, crushing his lips gently but securely against hers.

* * *

"Red, if you're there, please pick up!" Leaf whimpered into her cell, as another roll of thunder grumbled overhead. It was late, all the staff had gone home, and the rain was absolutely bucketing down.

She hung up and hit redial. Again it went to message bank. "Oh, come on," Leaf groaned, huddling in the tiny alcove near the restaurant's front entrance. Rain lashed in, splashing her legs. "I don't know where you are right now, but I'm stuck at work and there's a huge storm–"

The line cut out; she'd completely filled up his message bank. With a sigh, Leaf snapped her cell shut, sagging dejectedly against the cold bricks and gazing miserably out at the storm. What on earth was she going to do? The only pokémon she had with her was Pidgeot – her usual transport to and from work – but it was far too dangerous to fly in this weather.

She was literally stranded.

A sharp clap of thunder split the sky above, followed by a brilliant flash of lightning, and Leaf flinched.

Right. That was it. She wasn't hanging round to wait this out; there was a bus stop just up the road. Buses still ran at this time of night, she was (kind of) sure.

Summoning her courage, she pulled her thin cardigan tight and pelted out into the downpour. By the time she reached the glass bus stop, she was drenched to the bone, her clothes sticking to her frigid skin. Water dripped from her hair like she'd just stepped out of the shower. She gasped, shivering violently as she scanned the list of bus times hopefully.

Her heart sank horribly. The last bus had come and gone over an hour ago.

With a moan, Leaf dropped onto the metal bench with a wet squelch, and was quite content to just sit there and feel sorry for herself for a few minutes. But when her fingers started to feel like clumsy, fat frozen sausages, she decided she'd had enough.

There _was_ one last resort – one she'd been desperately hoping she could avoid utilising. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and boy was she desperate tonight.

With another heavy sigh, she flipped open her cell once more, suddenly filled with a nervousness she couldn't explain.

"Well, well," came the cool drawl down the line. "I thought you might have lost my number – or did you accidentally dial the wrong person?"

"F-funny," Leaf snapped through clenched teeth, chattering in the cold. "Look, I'm s-sorry to call so late, b-but I'm in a real p-pickle, and I really n-need your help."

"Sorry, what was that?" Blue asked delicately. "There's some weird distortion happening to the line, and it makes you sound like you've got a _terrible _stutter. I didn't quite catch what you said."

Leaf closed her eyes, willing her temper to stay in check. "I'm s-stranded in this storm, okay? I c-can't get home, and I'm drenched, and it's _f-freezing_. P-please, Blue? I swear I w-wouldn't have called if it w-wasn't an emergency."

There was a short pause. "Where's your Perfect Boyfriend tonight?"

"I d-don't know. I can't contact him." Tears stung her eyes. She blinked them back furiously. She was cold, wet, tired, and in no mood for his insufferable arrogance right now. She just wanted to go home. But she _would not _let Blue have the satisfaction of hearing her cry over the phone.

She wasn't that pathetic.

When he said nothing, she sucked in an angry breath and gave up. "Okay, w-well I don't really have t-time for this, so th-thanks anyway. I'll f-find another way home. Sorry for b-bothering you."

"Wait," his voice said reluctantly, right before she hung up. He sighed. "Where are you?"

Ten minutes later, his shiny black car pulled into the bus bay, and before she could approach the passenger door, he got out, auburn hair mussed and crumpled oxford shirt loosely buttoned. She didn't think she wanted to know exactly what it was she'd interrupted when she'd called, but it was hard not to draw the obvious conclusion.

As it was, she could hardly bring herself to look at him. Her pride was already bruised enough by her having even called him in the first place. Engaging in conversation with him was going to be hell. She was fully prepared for a large dose of Blue's Intolerable Ego, and knew he wouldn't fail to deliver, especially after the past few weeks of cold-shouldering.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

She didn't even say 'shut up'. She was in no position to say anything at all. So she stayed mute, breaking the loud silence with a revoltingly wet sniffle.

After another moment of letting her stew where she stood, Blue wordlessly fluffed out a towel in his hands and wrapped it round her shivering shoulders, pulling it snug.

She risked a hesitant glance up at him, and was unsurprised to find his intense gaze boring into hers. She flushed. "I s-swear I tried everyone else I could b-before calling you."

A strange expression flitted across his face for the briefest of moments, but was gone twice as quickly. He said conversationally, with a drop of wry humour, "We were actually friends once, you know."

"I r-remember," she tossed back, attempting to mimic his casual attitude. "How times ch-change, right?"

He said nothing other than, "Get in."

Leaf didn't think she'd ever been so grateful for a heater in all her life. The moment they were belted in, Blue wordlessly cranked it up, peeling the car into the road. Warmth blasted her icy cheeks, such an abrupt change from the cold air that it stung her skin. She tossed him an appreciative sideward glance.

An awkward sort of silence filled the car. How do you strike up a conversation with someone you've been ignoring for the past month, she wondered, especially when the last thing you said to them was nasty? Where do you even begin?

Finally, Blue glanced pointedly at the emblem sewn on the breast of her polo shirt. Amusement coloured his voice. "The Perky Piplup, huh? Cute."

"Shut up," Leaf grumbled in embarrassment, staring purposefully out the window at the darkness and hastily pulling her wet cardigan closed over her chest. "It was all I could find at the time."

"How long have you been working there?"

"A couple of weeks. I'm trying to scrape together enough money to sit the entrance exams."

All traces of mockery vanished from his voice. "So, you're actually going back to school."

He said it calmly, casually; but she didn't miss the sideward glance he threw her. Clearly, he still didn't approve of the idea. Not that it was any of his business.

"Yep," she replied crisply.

"And he's still cool with that."

"Yep."

They were both silent for a long time. Finally, when they were turning into her street, Blue said, "You're making a mistake, Leaf."

"Well, that's a matter of opinion," she replied coolly.

He seemed unperturbed by her iciness. The car pulled up outside her house. He looked at her gravely. "I'm just saying. It's a big decision. Think it over carefully, okay?"

She tried not to be disturbed by his uncharacteristic seriousness, but it was making her a little uncomfortable. She didn't know how to deal with this version of Blue; all she could do was toss insults and banter back and forth. She settled for playing it down casually.

"Thanks, Dad," she said with an eye roll, then softened her tone. "Look, I get that you're concerned, and I understand – really. But I've made up my mind. I _am _doing this."

Shooting him an apologetic sort of look, Leaf opened the door. "Thanks for the lift. And the towel." She blushed, feeling fidgety. Her fingers twisted together in her lap. "I, um… I really appreciate it."

Blue had the grace not to give her pride a well-deserved kick, even though it was the perfect opportunity to. He just nodded once, sort of curtly.

"Leaf." She hastily grabbed the door before it slammed, and turned back. He glanced sidelong at her. "If you ever get stuck again, call me, yeah?"

"I don't plan on getting stranded again for quite some time," she replied jokingly, then briefly caught his eye, sobering. "But, um… thanks. I will."

"And if you ever feel like being friends again," he added casually, with a quick flash of a grin, "I suppose you could call me then, too."

Leaf rolled her eyes, unable to help the wry smile that twisted her lips. "Don't count on it."

But she gave him a small wave as the car disappeared up the street, and it was with a considerable spring in her step that she turned to head up the driveway that night.

* * *

It's just like last time; impossible not to respond to the gentle persuasion of a mouth so practised in the art of kissing, and a body that exudes the confidence and charisma of a movie star. She has a hard time fighting her natural instincts to relax and just let him lead; the primal need for intimacy coupled with her intense attraction to him make a lethal combination that very nearly topples her resolve.

But she keeps her head. Even as her lips melt helplessly to fit his, she brings her hands up to rest them against his abdomen, ready to press against it and put some space between them. But somehow, the message leaves her brain and gets confused before it reaches her fingers, and instead of the desired push, they curl themselves deviously in the fabric of his shirt. The skin beneath her fingertips is warm and firm under the crisp material, and when his muscles tighten in response to her touch, a hot thrill sizzles down her back.

* * *

"Yo?"

"Congratulations, Mr. Oak, for winning the Blue-was-Right contest!" Leaf said, lowering her voice to sound comically like a game show host. "This is a call to personally present you with your fan-taaastic prize: one free pass to tell Leaf 'you told her so'! Why don't you practise putting on your best insufferably smug voice while we get her on the line?"

She could hear Blue laughing on the other end, and rolled her eyes. Then she hummed a very out-of-tune piece of impromptu elevator music down the line, pretending he was on hold.

"Alright, you can stop now," Blue said, still chuckling. "Though I could get used to winning these Blue-is-Right competitions – it's a pretty good prize."

"Very funny," Leaf said in her normal voice. She sighed glumly. "But seriously, go ahead. Say it. You were totally right about school; this is one of the worst decisions I've ever made, and I'm not even there yet."

"So don't go," Blue replied simply. "No-one's forcing you."

Leaf slammed her exam prep book closed, piling all her notes on top of it. "I've already come this far. What a waste to quit now."

"When are the exams?"

A sick feeling hit Leaf's stomach like a bucketful of ice. "A month." She sucked in a shuddery breath. "I'm so nervous, Blue."

"I would be, too, if I'd failed middle school."

"Hey!" she scolded. "I didn't _fail_. I just… didn't finish."

"Same thing."

"Different things!"

"But, okay, in all seriousness," he said, sobering. "How did you get the schools to accept your application letter? You technically don't even have a GPA."

She flushed. Even though she couldn't change anything, and she knew the past was in the past, it still sounded bad every time anyone said it aloud. She always felt like such a failure. "I got a letter of recommendation from your grandfather."

"Gramps?" Blue repeated, surprised. "That was good of him."

"Gee, thanks," she said sarcastically. "Clearly you don't think I deserve _any _credit for that internship I did."

"Not what I meant," he said. "I'm just surprised he didn't forget. I swear he's going funny these days; he acts like I'm a guest every time I visit and offers me his best whisky. I think he forgets we're related."

Leaf couldn't help laughing. Silence reigned superior for a few comfortable seconds. Then the smile faded from her face. She cleared her throat and said, "Actually, I did have a reason for calling."

"You mean, you weren't dying to hear the melodious sound of my super-sexy voice?" he retorted, feigning shock. "Well, that's disappointing."

This was the part where she was supposed to apologise for being such a crummy friend the past few months before she asked her favour… but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She faltered at the last moment, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

Feeling like a crappy person, Leaf said, "I have a favour to ask."

"As long as it's sexual," he replied, "I'm all ears."

"Blue!" she gasped, flushing. The room felt too hot all of a sudden. "Be serious!" She tucked her bangs nervously behind one ear as he chuckled to himself. "I just… I really need help. I've been studying for weeks, but there's only so much you can do before you're just overloading things you've already studied, and it becomes totally ineffective, you know?"

"Go on," he said warily.

"I just need someone to study with me before I sit the exam," she explained. "You know, quiz me and stuff. Because I don't think there's much more I can do by myself."

She knew what he'd say next before he even opened his mouth, so when he started to speak she quickly cut across him. "He's so busy with his Champion responsibilities all the time. He's hardly ever here at the moment. Besides–" And here was the really unpleasant part, where she had to give her pride a real kick in the teeth and suck up to him in an attempt to coerce him into agreeing "–you know academics were never really his thing. I don't think he'd be very helpful anyway. C'mon, Blue. You've always been really smart – smarter than the rest of us – and you know it. This'd be a synch for you."

He said nothing.

"Please," Leaf begged shamelessly. "These exams are really freaking me out. I promise I wouldn't ask if it wasn't really important."

Still he hesitated before finally speaking. "And if I agree to help you?"

Relief at the possibility of getting a 'yes' cascaded through her, filling her with a pre-emptive enthusiasm. But she was careful not to count her chickens just yet. "I'll do anything you want."

A hint of deep amusement laced his voice. "Anything?"

She caught herself, rolling her eyes. "Within reasonable limitation."

"This deal's looking less promising again."

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "You can have a favour in return?"

"When will I ever – realistically – need any kind of help from _you_?" he retorted. He meant it as a joke, but it still stung, surprisingly. She guessed he picked up on that in the heavy silence that followed, because he added hastily, "But I guess I can work with that."

Still smarting, Leaf said in a clipped tone, "So, a favour – uncontested – of your choice, at the time of your choice. Deal?"

"Deal," he agreed, sounding suspiciously smug. But she didn't ask questions; she didn't want to know what he was thinking. It would no doubt involve entertainment at her expense and horrendous humiliation.

Before she could say 'thanks' and hang up, Blue said, with unexpected humility, "All jokes aside, Leaf, just call when you want help. I'll come over, okay? Even though I don't agree with this crazy idea of yours, since you're going through with it, what choice do I have but to support you?"

She was surprisingly moved by this. So moved, in fact, that she had absolutely no idea what to say. But the moment passed before she could even get her thoughts together, and the opportunity to express true gratitude was lost.

"So," Blue said, smug and casual once more. "I guess this means we're friends again."

A smile accosted her lips. "Yeah. Guess so."

"Well then, smell ya, _friend_."

She laughed. "Goodnight, Blue."

* * *

His fingers wind themselves into her hair, and he pulls her head closer to deepen the kiss. They move subtly, in unison: her fingers release his shirt, sliding up to press against his chest as his arm snakes itself smoothly round her waist, pulling her flush against him. The fingers in her hair tighten, and her heart constricts. She feels delicate and precious in his arms – but, even better, she feels wanted. Like she's desirable and sexy, and beautiful.

Pressed together, she can feel his heart thumping in his chest. It's wild and animalistic; a solid, rhythmic affirmation of his desire; loud, thrilling evidence of the effect she's having on him. Or maybe she's getting ahead of herself. Maybe he's just caught in the moment. Maybe it's not really _her _at all.

He _is _a guy, after all, notoriously consumed by a desire for sexual interaction and usually irrespective of any particular partner. She's never understood how men could choose to be unattached to a woman during sex, but this isn't the time to ponder it. All that matters right now is that she doesn't become a victim.

But it's hard to feel victimised by such a wickedly tempting, gentle kiss…

* * *

She missed Red. She missed his smile, and his laugh, and his warm bear hugs when they cuddled on the couch to watch crappy re-runs late at night.

These days, he very rarely had time off. Being the Champion was even more full-time than a full-time job. She never knew where he was anymore; his schedule was too difficult and jam-packed to follow. She'd given up months ago. He was always off touring to meet trainers, or giving talks at elementary schools, or opening tournaments all over Kanto, or having ridiculously publicised meetings with other famous trainers from foreign regions.

It seemed these days there was a long list of Red's priorities, organised by a PR and religiously protected by several annoying assistants, and Leaf was right at the bottom – underneath _everybody _else.

She considered it a very bad sign that she was starting to resent kindergarteners.

And she never even got to talk to him about any of it. It all just built up over time, festering away inside her, rotting her from the core. She was always grumpy, always bitter, always frustrated. And nothing anybody said or did made her feel any better. Even Blue had gotten fed up and ditched her for the past week.

Mind you, it had become a pretty amazing feat if she actually managed to catch Blue at all. He rarely answered calls, was lazy getting back to messages, and was _always _busy. And not with work. She didn't know how she hadn't noticed, but Blue's calendar had become filled with adoring fans – of the womanly variety. She'd stopped dropping in unannounced after interrupting the Morning After on three extremely scarring occasions.

It was a little disconcerting that his companions were always humiliatingly fine specimens of the female population. Tall, short, blonde, brunette, fair-skinned or bronzed, they were always model-thin, and enviably stunning. Another good reason to stop visiting Blue; every time she met a Tuesday or Friday it was another devastating blow to her self-esteem.

In short, with the entrance exams right around the corner, Leaf was really not in a good place.

A sharp, familiar _rat-a-tat-tat-a-tat _broke her from her miserable reverie. She'd been staring glumly at the fridge, trying to will herself into cooking something that at least vaguely resembled a meal, but her attention was more than gladly diverted. She knew that knock. But it _couldn't_ be…

She trotted down the hall, fighting the ridiculous hopefulness that was swelling inside her like a big, golden balloon of joy. What if it wasn't him? What if it was somebody else who just happened to have an identical knock? She didn't know if she'd be able to handle the devastation.

Pausing by the front door, Leaf swallowed to calm her racing heart, wiped her suddenly sweaty palms down her pants, and opened the door.

There on the doorstep, a bunch of happy flowers in one hand, was a tired-looking Red. His eyes lit up, but his expression morphed immediately into one of remorse. "Leaf, I'm so sorr–"

She tackled him. His apology was knocked from him along with his breath, and it took only an instant for his arms to clamp round her fiercely. He pulled her up, almost off the ground, and nearly squeezed the life out of her. He said thickly, voice muffled by her shoulder, "I missed you."

"I missed _you_," she choked back, suddenly teary, her fingers bunching stubbornly in his coat, vicelike and steely. She buried her face in his chest, relishing in the smell of him, and he tucked her firmly under his chin, his arms like a protective cocoon. Her heart thrummed happily.

They stood like that, in the frigid winter night, for what seemed like hours. Finally, Red managed to prise her fingers off so he could pull back enough to kiss her. He clearly intended for it to be short and chaste, but she rose up on tiptoe, grabbing his coat collar and suctioning herself to him. He got over the initial surprise quickly, responding to her with enthusiasm; backing her inside, he kicked the door shut and let her pull him to her bedroom.

There'd be plenty of time for talk later.

* * *

"Stop!" she gasps breathlessly, ripping her mouth from his. His brown eyes fill with confusion. Touching her mouth self-consciously, she slips out of his arms, darting away.

"Leaf?"

She scuttles into the lounge room, looking for something – anything – that can distract her from the desire pulsating through her body. Her eyes land on their wine glasses – his empty, hers half-full – and the bottle of red, and she pounces on them gratefully, clearing them away noisily.

"What…?" He appears in the doorway, heavily confused. She studiously avoids looking at him, knowing that, with his slim-fit shirt with the casually rolled sleeves and unbuttoned collar, smart business slacks and mussed coppery hair, he'll be completely and utterly irresistible. As if he wasn't attractive enough already.

And they'd been nearing frighteningly dangerous territory back there. She doesn't want to risk it; her resolve has already been drastically weakened. Honestly, she's not sure how much longer she'll be able to fight against him. Every fantasy she's ever had is clamouring in her brain, screaming at her to let go of her inhibitions and just go for it.

_Be smart, Leaf_, she thinks firmly, pushing the voices to the back of her mind_. Don't lose your wits._

"Leaf?" he repeats, more sharply now. When she doesn't reply, he moves closer. She makes a beeline for the other door, but his hands snake out and grab her arm. She comes to a grinding halt, wincing inwardly at this small but significant defeat.

He turns her to face him purposefully; she keeps her eyes trained to the floor. His voice is tense now, flecked with restrained irritation. "What's wrong?"

* * *

Leaf didn't bother knocking; Blue never locked his door. She stomped into his quiet apartment, storming past the small but fancy kitchen and straight on down to his bedroom. There'd be a girl in there with him – she'd gotten used to stumbling across half-naked (sometimes totally naked) women in his house - but she didn't care.

Mind you, she still wasn't sure if her total desensitisation to Blue's ladies was a good thing or not.

"Blue!" she bellowed, slamming her fist against his door. "Open up!"

Muffled voices could be heard inside, but nobody answered, so she opened the door and marched in impatiently, eyes blazing with anger. The blonde in Blue's bed squeaked and disappeared beneath the sheets; Blue jerked up, glaring blearily across the room.

"Jesus Christ, Leaf!" he bellowed. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Wednesday," Leaf addressed the girl flatly. "Get out."

Her face appeared, confused and indignant. "Excuse me?"

"It's nothing," Blue said hastily, throwing Leaf a warning glare. "She's just a psycho ex-girlfriend who insists on stalking me every time I take a girl on a date."

"Funny," Leaf said, without humour. "But seriously, get out."

"Blue," the poor girl whimpered, pretty blue eyes huge.

"Relax," he assured her, touching her shoulder gently. "I'll deal with it." He turned narrowed cat's eyes to the infuriated girl in the doorway. "Leaf! I strongly advise you to _leave now_."

"You promised," she snapped instead, blinking back angry tears. "You _promised, _Blue. I know I can be a jerk sometimes, but this is low, even for you. And this was really important to me – I really needed you."

She sounded pathetic and crazy, and the girl in Blue's bed looked like she was seriously considering calling the police. But Leaf was so wound up from stress and lack of sleep that she didn't even care that she probably looked like a total lunatic. Tears streaked down her cheeks, and she didn't bother trying to stop them.

Blue shifted uncomfortably where he sat, the silken sheet sliding over his bare torso. "Leaf…"

"You could have just said 'no'," she steamrolled on furiously. "You didn't have to be such an asshole. Ignoring my calls? Seriously? What are you – fifteen? Grow up!" She yanked an empty plastic bottle off the dresser beside her and threw it at him. Blue dodged with a yelp and it bounced off the wall with a sharp _thwock_.

He glared at her like she was mental. "_Leaf_!"

"Next time you're not man enough to follow through on a promise, do me the courtesy of calling to let me know first. That way I don't have to hate you for it," Leaf spat, and grabbed the door handle, preparing to leave. She turned her fiery gaze on the blonde, and she shrank back fearfully. "Have a nice day, Wednesday."

Whirling on her heel, she slammed the door and stomped from the apartment.

x

In the wee hours of the morning, Leaf sat slumped at her desk, dragging her tired eyes across the pages of a thick textbook and taking in absolutely nothing.

Her brain had turned into cotton wool; it had completely lost the ability to retain any information at all. But she couldn't afford to waste this precious time. Every sentence read might contain a piece of information she might just – by chance – remember in the entrance exam tomorrow.

Red was gone again, on a five-day inspirational camp for a bunch of high school students in Cerulean City. It was a real bummer; she could have really used his support this week. It had been rough on her: exam pressure was dealing her a huge hand of stress, and it was keeping her awake at night.

Leaf groaned when she realised she'd gotten to the bottom of the page – again – without having read a single word. With a frustrated growl, she dragged her hands over her face and through her hair, tugging at it in exasperation. Then, with an exhausted sigh, she picked up her pen and went back to the top of the page to start again. Sometimes it was easier if she followed the pen along the line.

She was only a couple of sentences in and already the words were blurring together, when a sudden knock at the door presented the perfect excuse for distraction. She got up thankfully from the desk, stumbling on legs numb from hours of sitting still, and trotted into the dark hall.

Before she pulled the door open, Leaf glanced down at herself, lamenting at how she looked – definitely not suitable for greeting visitors, that was for sure. She'd been wearing the same clothes for two days. She hadn't showered this morning. Her hair was still thrown in yesterday's messy ponytail, hanging lopsided with strands falling out all over the place, and only Arceus knew when she'd last opened her make-up bag.

She sighed. Well, it was too late now. Quickly pushing her tousled bangs from her face, she opened the door, and was more than astonished to find a rugged-up Blue huddled on her doorstep, cheeks and nose pink from the frostbitten night.

"You know," he said, without waiting for an invitation to speak, "You're a total psychopath."

"What do you want?" she asked curtly, folding her arms uncomfortably across her chest. They'd had no contact since her crazy invasion of his apartment, and she hadn't expected to hear from him for a long time. Mind you, she wasn't exactly happy to see him, so it wasn't as though she was particularly concerned about that.

"Are you going to let me in?" he asked.

"No," she replied flatly.

"It's pretty cold out here, Leaf."

She glared at him. "Go away." And she started to close the door.

Quick as a flash, his arm snaked out. "Wait." His breath huffed from his lips in steaming clouds. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?" He visibly struggled for a moment with himself. "I _was _a total ass, I know, and I'm sorry I let you down."

Leaf hesitated, still wanting to slam the door in his face. But it was a bit hard to get satisfaction out of doing it when he was in the middle of apologising to her. It sort of didn't feel right. He was staring at her, looking a lot like a remorseful little schoolboy, and there was something extremely adorable in those sad eyes.

Leaf scowled. How could she possibly stay mad at him when he was looking at her like that?

The easiest option was just to let it go and forgive him on the spot. Besides, the fight was already going out of her; she could feel it. And she was getting tired of always fighting with him. She didn't have the energy for it right now. With a sigh, she opened the door a little wider.

"I'm already over it," she informed him tiredly. "Seriously. I don't even care anymore."

"No kidding," he retorted, glancing her up and down. "You look like crap."

"I've been studying," she replied indignantly, blushing hotly. "And it's not like anyone comes to see me, anyway."

She hadn't meant for it to sound so pathetic, but of course it did. Something stirred in Blue's eyes, but he quickly looked away, keeping them carefully hooded. When he glanced back up, his expression was normal again.

He stepped close, reaching around behind her. She blushed furiously, too stunned by his brashness to even react.

Blue grinned lazily, fingers resting on the door handle. "Relax. I'm not trying to steal you from your Perfect Boyfriend. You're damned psychotic, remember? He can keep you, for all I care – _I_ don't have a death wish." She opened her mouth to fire an angry retort, but he went on, a twinkle in his eye. "I am, however, going to take you out for coffee. Any more studying tonight and your brain will probably melt."

He scooted her out of the house, shutting the door behind her. She shivered, suddenly feeling the frosty air creeping through her sweater, and he shrugged out of his coat, setting it round her shoulders. He shoved his hands in his pockets before she could thank him, and turned to crunch down the snowy steps.

"C'mon. Car's out the front. Let's go."

* * *

She glances bravely up into his face. "I just… I don't think this is the best idea."

He raises one eyebrow incredulously. "Seriously?"

She shrugs out of his grasp, feeling claustrophobic with his hands on her. "Seriously. Friendships get ruined over stuff like this. It's not worth it."

"Bullshit, Leaf," he retorts scornfully. "What kind of lame excuse is that? 'Friendships get ruined'. At least try to come up with something a little more plausible." His eyes flash with anger.

She shrugs. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"Something that makes sense," he answers, taking the wine bottle from her hand and fighting with her over the glasses. "Because I know you're just freaking out about something and _looking _for excuses to run from me. But I can't figure out why. What's bothering you?"

"This!" she cries, throwing her hands up and deciding it was a good thing he wrestled those glasses from her, after all.

"This?" he repeats furiously. "_This_? What – tonight? Us?"

_Us. _It rings in her ears like bell chimes. She flinches.

He notices. "What? Leaf, _what is the problem_? Whatever's going through your head, say it. This stupid game is getting really old. Why don't you stop getting me to try and guess what you're thinking and actually give me some answers, for once?"

_Because I can't_, she thinks miserably. _I don't know how, with you. It's all too scary…_

* * *

On the second most life-changing day of her life, Leaf was coming out of a lecture when a gabble of students on the quad caught her eye.

Celadon City was truly stunning in the springtime. The sky was periwinkle blue with a spattering of cotton-candy clouds, and all the trees on campus had burst into bloom practically overnight. The lawns were dotted with pink petals, like a giant hand had tossed them over the university like a handful of confetti.

Leaf was passing by the group when the word 'Champion' caught her attention. She moved closer, hoping to catch what they were saying, and a few of them spotted her, instantly glancing between one another sharply. She was something of a celebrity on campus; everyone knew she was dating the Kanto Champion.

A funny feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.

Instead of sticking around, she turned and headed across campus to the dorms. Dread prickled at her neck as the elevator whisked her to her floor, and more pointed looks followed her all the way down the corridor, until she'd safely shut the door behind her. She threw her bag at the bed and snatched her cell up from her desk. She'd forgotten it in her rush this morning, and her inbox informed her she had five missed calls from Red.

Feeling sick, she dialled his number.

He picked up on the second ring. "Hey." He sounded totally normal, but something was definitely off. "Were you in class? Sorry if I got you in trouble."

"No – no," she replied breathlessly, shaky with nerves. "I forgot my phone today. What's – are you–" She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to stop stammering, and tried again. "Is everything okay?"

He was very quiet for a moment. "I lost."

All the noise in the world cut off in one swift second. Leaf's blood ran ice-cold. She heard herself say in a small voice, "What?"

His next words sounded like fuzzy gabble in her muted ears. It was though she was watching a TV show of someone else's life. It seemed like she was talking to a total stranger, not Red. Nothing seemed real at all.

"The challenger today was just too good. I guess we just aren't strong enough anymore."

"No," her disembodied voice replied weakly. "You're the best."

"I was," he replied glumly. "Not anymore."

"But that's not right," she argued, though she wasn't sure why she was arguing with _him. _It wasn't exactly going to change anything. The past was the past.

"Leaf, I know how you feel," Red said. "I feel exactly the same way. I… I'm not really sure what to do with myself."

At last, rationality returned, and Leaf was finally back inside her head and able to think clearly. She blinked furiously, digesting this overwhelming moment as best she could.

Finally, Red's voice said, sounding awfully like a small child, "Can you come home tonight?"

Immediately, tears swam in Leaf's eyes. Her heart bled for him, and she knew without even having to think about it that she'd go home. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

x

It had been so long since Leaf had gone flying with her pidgeot. Too long, she thought, as the cold wind whipped her hair from her face, ruffling the bird-pokémon's magnificent feathers. Pidgeot gave a gleeful cry and climbed higher, its proud wings spread wide.

Leaf reached down to stroke the regal plumage flourishing from its forehead, the long strands of rich red that cascaded soft and feathery down its neck. She'd forgotten how natural it used to feel, claiming the skies together like they owned them. It was such a release, she thought, euphoric with adrenaline. Up here there was nothing – no stress, no problems, no worries. Just her, her pokémon, and the endless expanse of sky.

The tears welled up before she could stop them. God, she was a cry-baby nowadays. It was getting annoying – and embarrassing.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled, stroking Pidgeot's neck. "I should never have kept this from you. I've been so selfish lately. I promise we'll fly again like we used to."

Their flight was over all too soon. Before long they were descending sharply, arcing towards the ground, her clothes flapping in the wind. She stumbled off Pidgeot's feathery back, vertigo hitting hard as her feet met solid ground for the first time in hours. She smoothed down her clothes, returned her faithful pokémon, and turned apprehensively toward Red's house.

She didn't have much time to be anxious. As she headed up the front path, the door opened and he came down the steps to meet her, scooping her into an agonisingly fierce hug. He didn't offer conversation, and she had no idea what to say to him, so they stood silently for some time, locked together.

It was colder in Pallet Town than Celadon City, and with the chilly breeze came a light shower that trickled down her neck and into her shoes. She ignored it, closing her eyes to the weather and feeling Red's pulse slamming in his chest.

Finally, he let her go, pulling back to look her in the eyes. "Leaf…"

She pressed her fingers gently to his lips, silencing him. "It's going to be okay." She nodded, offering him a small, encouraging smile. "Everything's going to work out. I promise."

He curled his fingers round hers, pulling them away from his mouth. Looking down at their joined hands, he said, "Losing today made me see things differently."

"What kind of things?" she asked quietly, alarm bells clanging sharply in her head.

Suffering huge blows like this could have extremely bad effects on people; such massive changes could make people's lives difficult to cope with. Sometimes, one big change was the catalyst for many other changes – total, radical changes. Changes like moving to the other side of the world, quitting your job to take up some crazy new hobby, or – dare she think it – breaking up with your partner because they represented your 'old' life, and no longer fitted properly.

But Red wasn't like that. He wouldn't do that to her… would he? As confident as she was in her boyfriend, she couldn't shut away the tiny, niggling voice in the back of her mind that warned her to start preparing for the worst.

"Everything," he said sombrely, and she didn't think there could possibly be a worse answer. 'Everything' was definitely not a good sign. She sucked in a sharp, shaky breath, her heart already tearing itself into sharp-edged little pieces that cut her insides as they plummeted toward her feet.

"Please," she whispered, suddenly ice-cold. She tried to prise their fingers apart, refusing to look at him. She _couldn't_ look at him. "Don't say anything else."

"What?" Red said, confused. "Leaf, just – hear me out, okay? Please?"

He gripped her fingers too-tightly until she stopped struggling, realising she wasn't going anywhere unless he let her. Resigned, she glanced up at him, nausea kicking fiercely in her stomach.

_This isn't happening… It's not real… It _can't _be real – it just can't…_

"I lost everything today," he said matter-of-factly, then touched her cheek gently. "Everything except you. It made me realise how precious things are – how we should treasure things that matter to us, and not… take things for granted." He stared down at his feet, fighting some internal battle that conflicted in his eyes. "I was taking everything for granted, Leaf. Everything. I thought I'd be the Champion forever, so I didn't have a back-up plan. It was so _stupid._ I got complacent, and now I'm here, with no future and a shit ton of remorse.

"I wish I'd been wiser, like you. At least you're doing something to ensure you have a future to look forward to. And on that note, I'm sorry I made you drop everything to come back here tonight. I was just being selfish – I've been doing that a lot, actually." Red glanced at her, looking self-conscious and remorseful.

Leaf, for her part, was simply stunned. She hadn't been expecting this outburst of self-loathing, and she didn't know how to deal with it. But she _did _know she wanted it to stop, because he was wrong – he was just being too hard on himself for losing – and it was killing her to watch.

"Stop," she said firmly. "Stop beating yourself up. One loss doesn't mean you failed. And you're not selfish–"

"Shh," he interrupted, black eyebrows furrowed in a frown. "Yes, I am. In the worst kind of way. I haven't been around, and I always excused it away, but it's not okay. It never was, and it never will be." He took her face in both his hands, but she didn't even notice he'd let her hands go. She just stared up at him, wide-eyed. "I know I let you down in the past, but I won't anymore – I swear." He swallowed. "I realised today that I could lose anything in the world – money, respect, Championship – and it wouldn't matter. As long as I've got you, I can handle anything."

Leaf lost her breath. It caught in her chest and lodged itself there firmly, until all she could feel was her pulse thumping hard in her ears. She stared up at Red, and he stared back, long lashes blinking rapidly. Behind his eyes she could see his thoughts weaving together, working themselves into an order that spilled from his lips like air rushing from a balloon.

She collected herself. "Red…"

"I want it to stay that way," he said, voice shaking suddenly – though from cold or nerves she couldn't tell. The colour had drained from his face, leaving him looking drawn, anxious, and stricken. His eyes, however, flashed with a wild energy she'd never seen before. "You're the most important thing to me, Leaf, but I've made a pretty crappy attempt at showing it lately. I want to make it up to you – if you'll let me."

Leaf's breath returned in a gush. "So you're not breaking up with me?"

He jerked back, astounded. "Breaking up? Jesus, Leaf, I want to _marry you_, not leave you!" He caught himself sharply, shooting her a wide-eyed, worried look, obviously fearing he'd said too much and scared her.

Only one word stuck in Leaf's mind, stamped across the front of her brain in huge, neon, capital letters.

MARRY.

_He wants to marry me?_

Instantly, images flooded her brain; a clean, bright church, the wooden pews filled with the smiling faces of their friends and family. Herself in a glistening white dress, embellished with lace and beaded with twinkling diamantes, her fingers clasped around a fat bouquet of ivory roses. And Red in a dashing tuxedo, eyes filled with love, waiting for her to join his side and declare his devotion – solidify their love – for the whole world to admire.

Red was speaking when Leaf was sucked out of her fantasy and back to reality. She had no idea what he was saying, but she went up on tiptoe – her entire body tingling with elation, her head reeling with joy and excitement and _pure delight_ –and kissed him passionately.

"Yes," she said, when their lips broke apart. He stared at her, eyes huge, and she grinned ecstatically. "Yes, I'll marry you!"

The smile that radiated from his face was the hugest she'd ever seen, and he pulled her up to kiss her again. Overhead, the sky rumbled and the clouds split open, sheets of rain bucketing down heavily. But Leaf didn't feel anything except Red's lips and her own explosive heartbeat.

_Yes_, she said again in her mind, pulling him closer. _Yes. A thousand times, yes._

* * *

**To be continued…**

* * *

**A/N: **One more thing. Quite a lot of work went into this piece - it took a lot of time (that was meant to be spent on university assignments :P) and effort - so if you did read it, and did enjoy it, and you would be interested in the second installment, please let me know. Otherwise it'll be a while before I post the second part, due to university commitments. Thanks! :)


	2. Part Two

**July 1, 2012.**

**A/N: **As you can see, reader, this fic sort of grew into a monster. It was meant to be a story in two parts, but already it's going to have to be three. There's just too much of their story to tell! Please bear with me as I write the third part; I promise I'll have it done as soon as possible. They just take _forever_ to write (no kidding; look how long it's been since I posted part one!).

Anyway! I hope you enjoy the second installment. It's another mammoth read, so better go make yourself another hot chocolate. ;)

* * *

**H . E . A . R . T . L . I . N . E . S**

* * *

**Part Two**

_your heart is the only place that I call home_

* * *

He comes toward her, setting aside the glasses. She backs up, but he reaches out and snags her arms, drawing her close. She can smell his musky cologne, and the underlying scent of man. Tiny shivers rattle her spine.

"You're attracted to me." It's not a question. "Don't even try to deny it, Leaf."

His boldness is frightening, but she can't deny it's not exciting too. Closing her eyes against the confident intensity in his gaze, she steps out of his gentle touch. "And what if it's just an infatuation? Crushes die eventually."

"Infatuation, huh?" he says with a snort, and his fingers brush her chin lightly. "If you say so."

* * *

The wedding was held on a blissfully sunny day in mid-summer. The sky was strong blue as far as the eye could see, and though the sun burned overhead the guests weren't uncomfortable. It was as though they'd been blessed with the perfect day.

And Pallet Town's tiny church had never been more charming.

It seemed half the town had been somehow packed into the old-fashioned wooden pews. Lengths of white silk were looped under the windows; big white ribbons tied into fat bows decorated the ends of the pews. Rays of sunlight illuminated the stain-glass window behind the altar, bathing the floor in rainbow.

The bride was a vision in ivory. She floated down the aisle to the airy notes of the organ, her bell-skirt swishing with each step. Diamantes glittered in the train that trailed at her heels and in the veil that masked her face. Loose ringlets cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. She held a bouquet of fat ivory roses at her slender waist.

The groom stood a little straighter, one foot tapping nervously. An indescribable and very private sort of joy painted his features; adoration radiated from his eyes as he watched her approach.

The ceremony was short, sweet and traditional. The rings were exchanged, and when it was finally time for the long-awaited kiss to seal the deal, there was a collective murmur from the guests as he took her waist and drew her close, catching her lips with his own.

The reception was held in one of Pallet's only function halls; a fresh, cream-walled room with large windows and thick, gold carpet. Long white-clothed buffet tables presented an assortment of hor d'ouevres and glasses of champagne and punch. The guest tables were dotted around the room, leaving a large space in the middle for a makeshift dance floor. The atmosphere buzzed with pleasant chatter and soft, jazzy music.

Leaf wore green to the wedding. Her dress was a soft, misty sort of colour that made her hazel eyes look greener than usual, and she'd pulled half of her thick brown hair back into a medieval sort of 'do. She was standing by the buffet table, selecting from the very tasteful stack of wedding cupcakes when a voice in her ear startled her.

"Dance?"

When Blue had first called about Daisy's wedding, Leaf had thought he was using his 'uncontested favour' to get her to go. But it had turned out Daisy had invited her anyway, and he was just passing on the message. She'd intended to bring Red, but he'd scheduled an interview with some magazine or other to cover his term as Champion. Surprisingly enough, Blue hadn't brought one of his model bimbos for company, like she'd expected. She hadn't been looking forward to forcing brainless small talk and fake smiles.

"I'm clearly busy right now," she replied sarcastically, swiping some frosting from the cupcake with her fingertip and showing it to him.

Blue turned and leaned against the table, his eyes grazing the dance floor casually. Dozens of couples – mostly older – were swaying around, laughing and smiling together. A few braver pairs were reminiscing the old days with some swing. One annoyingly proficient duo was doing something fancy. They probably competed. There was always one of those couples at every wedding.

Leaf took the opportunity to glance at him briefly while he was looking elsewhere. He looked good, she had to admit. His tuxedo was smooth, gunmetal grey with dark buttons. The crisp white shirt underneath was set off by the black bow tie at the collar. His dress shoes were black leather.

He turned, catching her eyes, and she jerked guiltily, blushing and snapping her gaze back to her cupcake. But she could feel him smirking.

"Do I get your tick of approval?" Blue asked smugly.

"Actually," she replied tartly, "I didn't know you had such good fashion sense."

"I try to keep it on the down-low," he said. "Otherwise everyone'd think I'm gay."

"Well tall, blonde and well-groomed over there sure does," Leaf replied, glancing furtively to a nearby table, where a guy with meticulously swept hair and an outrageously purple blazer was trying to inadvertently catch Blue's eye.

Blue blanched. "Put the cupcake down, and come dance with me. Right now."

"Aww," Leaf teased, licking frosting from her finger. "But I wouldn't want to cock-block the poor guy. He's so… _hopeful_. Look! He's practically pining like a puppy. Ooh! I think he's going to come over!"

"That's it," Blue growled, yanking the cupcake from her and dropping it on the table. Leaf was still giggling when he seized her hand and dragged her onto the dance floor. He glowered at her as they settled into a comfortable hold and joined the casual sway-step that seemed to constitute the dancing.

For a moment they were quiet. Then Blue said, "I normally hate weddings, but this one actually wasn't too bad, all things considered."

Leaf was stabbed with a sharp pang of guilt. She still hadn't told him she was engaged. In fact, she'd been putting it off. She was nervous about his reaction; he could hardly be expected to be happy for her. He already thought little of Red as a (person) boyfriend. No doubt he'd say she was too young; it was a thoughtless decision; she should live more of her life first…

Besides, Red hadn't bought a ring yet, and without it the engagement didn't feel legitimate. She'd told herself she'd tell everyone when she had the ring on her finger. But she felt uncomfortable keeping it from Blue. Somehow, she knew it would only make it worse.

Leaf pushed it all to the back of her mind. "Daisy looked gorgeous."

As if she was dropping a hint, Blue glanced down at her. "Is that the dress you wore to junior prom?"

She blinked in astonishment. It was, but that was years ago now, and she hadn't worn it since. And she'd gone as Red's partner anyway (surprising all her old classmates who hadn't seen her since middle school); she'd hardly even seen Blue that night. In fact, she could barely remember seeing him at all, or who he'd gone with.

"It is," she confirmed. "It's kind of creepy that you remember."

Blue shrugged indifferently. "I have a good memory."

"Who did you take again?" she asked.

"I didn't," he replied, and she detected smugness in his voice. It came back all of a sudden, and his tone made sense.

"Oh, that's right. You ended up stealing Estelle Marks from Robbie Redfern!" She laughed, then frowned. "But I thought you slept with Phoebe Forrester that night."

"Actually," he corrected, "it was Yasmin Bellefleur. But I did hook up with Phoebe first."

Leaf shook her head, unable to fight her smile. "We all should have seen it coming."

"What?" he asked.

"Your future playboying ways," Leaf said, with a dramatic roll of her eyes. "The plans for the Weeknights were set in motion years in advance." She pulled back to grin at him. Something in his eyes made the smile fade. "What?"

He looked away, over her shoulder. "Nothing."

Unsettled, Leaf glanced around for something to inspire a change of topic. Nearby, Daisy and her new husband were dancing together, her dress glinting and winking in the light. Daisy was looking at her, and when she caught Leaf's eye a slow, disarming smile spread across her face.

"Your sister is looking at us," Leaf commented, unsettled.

She felt Blue's head turn. "So she is." Without warning, he dropped his hand from her waist, letting go of her fingers. "I'm getting a drink. You need one?"

Leaf frowned at him in confusion. "I'm fine."

Without another word, he strode off through the dancing couples, leaving her wondering if she'd offended him somehow, and not knowing what to say to make things right.

* * *

She shudders and knocks his fingers away, eyes snapping open. "You'll say anything, won't you?"

Something dark stirs in his eyes. "Excuse me?"

Instantly, she wishes she could take it back. It was never a conversation she wanted to have. She clears her throat uncomfortably. "Nothing. Forget I said anything – please."

"Nuh-uh," he growls quickly, when she makes another attempt at escape. "Grow a pair, Leaf." When she glances up, his face is hard. "You already said it, so go on. Explain."

* * *

Leaf was sitting in the lounge room, humming to herself, happily lost in a post-wedding dream-state. After the reception, everyone had seen Daisy and her husband off in the shiny white limousine that would whisk them away to their tropical honeymoon. Then, like many of the local guests, she'd wandered home in the balmy evening.

Now she was looking through the photos on her digital camera, deleting the duds. The night beyond the dark windows was alive with the songs of bug pokémon. The TV babbled in the background. Every now and then she took a sip from the glass of wine on the coffee table.

A key sounded in the front door, and Leaf got up as Red trudged in. She skipped over to him, careful not to slosh wine on the carpet, and went up on tiptoe to kiss him. His arms found her waist for a moment.

"How was the interview?" she asked, smiling up at him.

He sighed. "Long. Depressing. How was the wedding?"

"Long. Inspiring," she replied, poking her tongue out. "But I still think we should have a spring wedding. I'm thinking April. Want some wine?" She waggled the wine glass in front of him. He shook his head, smiling softly.

"Let me dump all this stuff," he said. "Then I'll come join you."

She settled back on the sofa. A few minutes later, Red dropped down beside her, lifting her legs to resettle them over his knees. They watched the TV for a while in companionable silence.

Then Red said, "I've got some news."

Something in his voice – was it guilt? – made her set the glass down. She said warily, "Good or bad?"

He laughed. "Good, I hope." He paused for a moment, maybe trying to figure out the best wording. "I've been asked to participate in an educational program for students in Kanto."

Leaf couldn't help it; her heart sank. Still, she plastered on a bright smile. "Well, that's exciting. What would you be doing, exactly?"

Red relaxed a little; evidently her reaction was a relief. "It's a week-long inspirational camp that encourages students to connect more with their pokémon, and with battling. Sort of a reach-for-the-stars kind of thing, you know? Believe in yourself. Follow your dreams. That sort of stuff. I'd be interacting with the students both in groups and one-on-one."

"Sounds like you'd be perfect," Leaf said, and wondered why he couldn't notice how glum she was. "Who asked you?"

"The head of the Department of Education – Ken Bellbird, you know? He called me after the interview today. It'd be for at least six months."

The muscles in Leaf's cheeks were starting to hurt. "Have you already said yes?"

"Well, no," Red replied, his enthusiasm waning a bit. "I wanted to talk to you first."

And now Leaf knew she was in a rut. If she said yes, who knew how long he'd disappear for? She'd only had him back for a few weeks! And what about their wedding plans? There was so much to organise… But if she said no, she'd look like one of those control-freak girlfriends. Fiancées. Whatever. Besides, she could see how much he wanted to do it. Frustratingly, she knew she couldn't make him turn it down.

"I think it's a great idea," she lied. "It's a great opportunity."

How many times had she said that now? She was starting to sound like a broken record. One day, he'd realise what she really meant was she wished he wouldn't do it.

But not today. He smiled broadly. "Really? That's great; I wasn't sure you'd like it. I know this complicates organising the wedding a bit, but I'll still be around to help–"

"It's okay," she interrupted quickly. With every word her heart sank a little bit more. "The girl's meant to do most of it anyway. I'm sure I can handle picking out invitations and flowers by myself. You'd be bored anyway."

He pulled her into his lap, curling his long arms around her. "You're the best, you know that?"

She reached for her glass and took a generous mouthful.

Yep. The best.

* * *

She tries to shrug him off, but this time his grip is steely. She levels a frustrated glare at him. "Fine. You want to know so badly?"

She sucks in a breath, wetting her lips nervously. His eyes flit to her mouth, though she hadn't intended to draw his attention to it. Finally she blurts, "I've seen you in action, okay? I've watched you with your… your _girls_ – seducing them, flattering them, telling them whatever they want to hear to charm them into wanting you."

She watches his expression shift slowly, and knows she's made a grave mistake. But it's too late to go back now. She ploughs on, ice rolling in her stomach. "I just… I don't want…" She struggles uncomfortably.

"Go on," he mutters through clenched teeth, eyes black with anger. He shakes her shoulders sharply. "_Say it_, Leaf!"

"I don't want to be another _Thursday_!" Leaf cries, eyes squeezed shut so she doesn't have to see the betrayal on his face. Her pulse slams loudly in her ears, rocketing against her ribcage.

* * *

She wished she'd known in advance how difficult it was going to be, trying to study and organise her wedding at the same time. There was simply too much to do: guest lists to finalise, venues to book, colour themes to select – followed by invitations, dining sets, place cards, flowers, bridesmaid's dresses (she still had to choose her bridesmaid's, too) and all the other seemingly-unimportant decorations. Emphasis on the 'seemingly'.

Plus she had to try all kinds of cakes from all sorts of bakeries, then select a design for the wedding cake from the best one. And there was the catering; she still needed to choose the menu, and the drinks. And she hadn't even _thought_ about her dress yet.

It didn't take long for her to realise she was going to need some help.

She sat outside the café, her knee bouncing anxiously, chewing her lip and twisting the gold band round and round her finger. Every time the diamond came up it glinted in the sun. Each time, another kick of nauseating nerves hit her stomach.

When she spotted Blue's fox-brown hair she jumped up so hastily she knocked the table and almost upended her chair. A few people glanced over curiously but she ignored them. Smoothing her front, she sucked in a shaky breath, fluttered nervously with her bangs, plastered on a huge fake smile and skipped over to greet him.

It had been a few weeks since Daisy's wedding, and she'd been so busy she hadn't even really had time to contact him. She was surprised to discover she actually sort of missed him – not that she'd admit it. And definitely not to his face. Nonetheless, a lazy grin spread across his cheeks when he spotted her and he accepted her hug – to his credit – without any arrogant comments.

The words rose to the tip of her tongue like vomit; totally unstoppable. She was just going to have to go for it – get it out of the way first and hope for the best. "I have something to tell you!"

He raised one eyebrow, looking at her appraisingly. "What?"

It was now or never. With a violent twist in her stomach, she thrust her hand up. "I'm getting married!"

If the diamond had been twinkling before, it was nothing compared to the dazzling sparkle it had going on now. It was almost blindingly glittery. Blue just stared at it, flabbergasted. She waited for him to speak, holding her breath and worrying at his totally unreadable expression. She couldn't imagine that could be taken as a good sign.

Finally he recovered enough to say, "Congratulations."

The air gushed from her lips. That wasn't what she'd expected at all. But this was the part where she was supposed to be excited, so she whipped up another bright smile and said, maybe too cheerfully, "Thanks!"

Without looking directly at her, Blue said, "We should sit down. People are staring." He chuckled, but it didn't sound right.

"Oh! Right!" Leaf replied. "I got us a table, so…"

They seated themselves. The silence was tense and sort of awkward. She guessed he was trying to figure out what to say. For her part, she had absolutely no idea. She'd only worked out the presenting-the-ring-to-him part. The rest was adlib. And it wasn't going very well so far.

"I know you must be kind of surprised," she began uncomfortably. "So I'll just do all the talking." He made no objections, so she kept going. "We're getting married next April, in the springtime–"

"Romantic," he interjected, though for once she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. So she chose not to respond and continued speaking as though he hadn't.

"We're thinking maybe in Central Park in Celadon – there's a rotunda by this pretty lake, and in spring the blossom petals float all over it like snow–"

"I've seen it," he agreed. "Nice choice."

This time she couldn't ignore it. "Are you – you're being serious?"

He shrugged, looking at her. "Aren't you?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed, reddening. "I – well I just thought – never mind. Anyway, Red's away all week doing an inspirational camp that visits all the high schools in Kanto; he's only home on weekends. And with studying I'm struggling to organise everything."

"You need a wedding planner," Blue commented.

"I need a maid of honour," Leaf corrected. She glanced at him in embarrassment, biting her lower lip for a moment. "I wanted to ask if you'd do it."

There was a long, rich silence. Blue simply stared at her. "You want _me_ to be your maid of honour?"

Leaf nodded. Suddenly, he flagged down a waitress and ordered himself a coffee. Leaf said the first thing that came into her head, and the waitress disappeared.

Blue returned to the conversation. "I thought the maid of honour was – you know – a _maid_; maids being girls, and all. Isn't that sort of the point?"

Leaf wriggled a bit in her seat. "It's the twenty-first century. I'm pretty sure anything goes." She took a breath and caught his eye. "You're my best friend. Even if I had someone else to ask, I wouldn't want to."

Blue sat back in his seat, staring at the table and lounging casually while he thought. Finally he cast his gaze back to hers. "I can't do that, Leaf. It's too weird."

This was more like the Blue she'd expected to have to coerce. She held his gaze. "You have no idea how much it would meant to me."

"Aside from not wanting to," he said flatly, "You know I _hate _weddings. You think I'm going to be any help when it comes to choosing invites or ribbons or crappy lace decorations?"

"I value your opinion," Leaf admitted, her cheeks flushing. "More than anyone else's. And I know you have an eye for detail. Don't even try to deny it. Your apartment is way too stylish."

"That was Ally–"

"Buttercup?" Leaf interrupted shortly. "The blonde bikini model from Vermilion? No, it wasn't. I asked her and she said it was all you."

"Traitor," he muttered darkly under his breath. But he still wasn't changing his mind. And it was obvious he wasn't going to.

When their drinks arrived, Leaf sculled her lemonade like it was water and she'd been lost in the desert for days. At least it stalled some of the awkward conversation. Blue, meanwhile, sipped his cappuccino at leisure.

Leaf put the empty glass down, tucked her bangs behind her ear, and said, unable to look at him, "I don't think I really thought I'd be able to convince you to do it. So I can't really be disappointed that you're not. But it was worth a shot, right?" She cast him a weak, tight-lipped smile and collected her bag, leaving some coins on the table. "I've got to run, but it was nice to finally see you. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

He looked like he might speak, but she saved him the discomfort and shouldered her bag, leaving him to his coffee and hurrying away down the sidewalk.

x

She was curled on the sofa, flipping through a bridal magazine when the phone rang. She stared at it in confusion for a moment, glancing at the clock above the TV. Who would call at one-seventeen in the morning?

For a horrible moment, she wondered whether something had happened to Red, and she stumbled up hastily, falling upon the phone and thrusting it against her ear. "Hello?"

There was a short silence. Then, "I'll do it."

She choked on her own breath. "_Blue_? Jesus, I thought something had happened to Red. God, you scared the crap out of me! What are you–"

"I said I'll do it," he repeated shortly. "I'll do the stupid bridesmaid – maid of honour – thing."

"You will?" Leaf gasped. It was so unexpected she had no idea what to say.

"_Yes_," Blue grumbled. "Just call whenever you're doing… wedding stuff–" He struggled, like it tasted sour in his mouth "–and I'll tag along, alright?"

Something warm and fuzzy tingled in Leaf's heart. She beamed at the wall. "Thanks, Blue."

He muttered something unintelligible and hung up.

Grinning like a mad woman, she clutched to the phone to her chest and did a stupid little dance around the living room.

* * *

There's a long, horrible silence. Wordlessly, he drops his fingers from her arm and steps back, putting space between them. She cautiously opens her eyes, but he's not looking at her. He rubs one eyebrow uncomfortably with his thumb and with an almost imperceptible nod to himself, walks away.

With an awful sinking feeling, Leaf follows helplessly at a miserable trot. _I should be saying something, _she agonises. _Apologising, or trying to excuse myself, or at least making some pathetic attempt at reasoning with him. Anything! Saying nothing just makes it look like I don't even care._

She practically trips over her own feet when, without warning, Blue comes back into the hall, winter coat in hand. Tossing her a single dark glance he brushes past, striding purposefully for the front door.

* * *

Red was surprised when she announced who her maid of honour was going to be. She sprung it on him one Sunday morning over a late breakfast.

He nearly choked on his orange juice. "I thought that was usually a girl's job."

"That's what he said," she replied happily. "But I don't think it matters these days."

Red raised his eyebrows, then grinned. "Does this mean I can call him a girl?"

"No!" Leaf snapped, but she couldn't help laughing a little.

"Well, should I get a girl to be my best man?" he asked with a small frown. When her expression became questioning he continued. "Aren't the maid of honour and best man supposed to get it on after the wedding?"

Leaf pulled a face and punched him playfully on the shoulder. "No. You can have a best _man_."

"Who'd have thought," Red said jovially. "Blue picking out lace and silk and doilies and–"

"I don't think there are doilies at weddings," Leaf interjected, frowning.

"Well, there should be," Red replied stubbornly. "They're just as girly."

She rolled her eyes. "Eat your breakfast."

Red grinned. "Yes, ma'am."

x

As September bled into October, and the weather became insistently cooler, Leaf was forced to acknowledge that she simply couldn't put off organising the wedding any longer. She'd had essays and tests for the past few weeks, and had happily let them consume her life until one day she glanced out the window and caught sight of the bursts of red, orange and yellow in the trees. Autumn had well and truly arrived, and the passage of time suddenly alarmed her.

Without hesitation, she yanked up her cell and dialled Blue's number.

He answered right before it went to message bank. "Hmm?"

"It's me," she said thoughtlessly, then realised he knew _hundreds_ of girls and was probably scratching his head in confusion. "Um, Leaf."

"I know it's you," Blue said flatly, surprising her.

"Well, it's hard to know," she said defensively. "You know so many women."

"Was there a point to this call?" Blue grumbled. "Or are you just going to loudly disapprove of my social life until I hang up?"

"No, but someone should," Leaf retorted smartly. "Actually, I was calling because we need to start on this wedding soon. I've been caught up studying and we're starting to run out of time."

"Right," Blue replied, sounding suspiciously sarcastic. "What time and where, your highness?"

"Funny," Leaf deadpanned. "Does Tuesday work for you? I can do Wednesday if you–"

"Tuesday's fine," he interrupted. "Please note I won't be alive before eleven."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Make it midday."

"Done. Enjoy the rest of this _delightful _afternoon, sweet lady." And he hung up. Leaf mused that he'd probably been sleeping – either of the variations – and she'd interrupted.

_Serves him right_, she thought, sort of savagely. _One day he's got to realise real life exists outside his scandalous lifestyle. He can't go on like this forever._

Mind you, if she was being honest, she couldn't imagine him any other way.

x

He was almost forty minutes late when finally there came a knock at the door. Leaf got up from the kitchen table, storming out into the hall.

He looked like he'd just rolled out of bed; his hair was all over the place, his clothes were crumpled, and even as she stood staring in disapproval he yawned hugely.

"You're late," she said shortly.

"Had to get rid of–" He broke off and thought for a moment, counting on his fingers. "Monday."

"We set the date for Tuesday," Leaf pointed out. "What day did you think it would be when you woke up this morning?"

"Can we go already?" Blue asked. "The sooner we go the sooner we get back."

"If it's that much trouble, don't bother," Leaf snapped, and slammed the door in his face. She stomped around the house, raging inwardly and grabbing her things to leave. Not a minute later, the knock came again.

She yanked her cardigan over her tee, wrenched open the door and glared at Blue. "Go away."

"Can't," he replied blandly. "I'm the maid of honour. It's my job."

"Then do it properly!" Leaf cried. He lazed against the wall, his hands in his pockets, while she locked the door with the key and pulled it shut.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he commented placidly. She stomped down the steps, heading for his car. He followed at an easy stroll.

"Someone didn't bother getting up at all," she shot back.

"Incorrect," Blue replied. "I'm here, aren't I? I _wouldn't_ have gotten up if I didn't have this wedding date thing."

She whirled on her heel. "What's your problem? I didn't force you to do this, remember? You agreed of your own free will. If you're serious about doing it, stop acting like a spoiled brat, get in the car, and be my friend. If you're not, go home. I have too much to do to put up with this crap!"

He held up his hands in surrender, strolling round to the passenger side. "Got it."

She growled under her breath and yanked the passenger door open, throwing into the seat. The drive was quiet for the first few minutes, then Blue seemed to simmer down.

"Under the pump, huh?"

Leaf chose not to attack this time. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I've got mid-terms coming up and I should really be studying for them. But I can't procrastinate anymore; this needs to get done. I'm just stressing."

"Why are you procrastinating at all?" Blue asked, staring over the wheel at the road. "Aren't girls supposed to be super excited about all this crap? I thought you'd have most of this stuff done by now."

She didn't reply. How could she explain that it was difficult being enthusiastic about the wedding when her fiancée was hardly around to even discuss it? No matter how she looked at it, Blue could only be critical of Red, and that was something she did not need added to her growing Pile of Angst.

"I am excited," she said eventually. It sounded lame. He said nothing.

x

In the end, it was actually a pretty successful day. She'd finalised the guest list the night before, and they picked out invitations ("These ones; they make me want to vomit less. Alright, alright… they're classier than the other ones, okay? Seriously. It's not ethical for a girl to punch a man in a bridal shop.") and then found matching place cards. Both were placed on order.

Whilst grabbing a late lunch, Leaf called the council in Celadon City to enquire about the rotunda in Central Park. After being redirected through to about five different people, she cracked it and was finally put through to someone helpful. There was only one date left in spring – late May – but it was better than nothing; in fact, she was thankful there was even still an opening. She booked it.

"I didn't realise how expensive weddings were," she complained after she'd hung up. The deposit was going to take a hefty chunk out of poor Red's savings. All the money she'd earned was paying for her degree.

Blue snorted into his burger. "Of course they're expensive. The whole day is a colossal waste of time and money."

"The memories are priceless," Leaf argued. He simply shrugged; he couldn't exactly argue with that.

It was with a considerably lighter heart that Leaf made her way back to Blue's car later that afternoon. Some of the weight had lifted from her shoulders; the rest of the wedding preparations didn't seem quite so daunting now that she'd actually made a start.

"So," Blue said, interrupting her thoughts. "What's next? Cake?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Look at you getting all into it."

He shrugged it off, but his cheeks coloured. "Just making a suggestion. You probably want to get that out of the way as soon as possible."

"You're right," she sighed. "That's the next big thing."

"Monday?"

He was full of surprises today. She slung a sideward glance at him and smiled. "Monday."

They were passing by a pretty little park, walking under a row of big, fat oak trees that had burst into colour. The sun suddenly burst from behind the clouds, filtering down to the pavement and illuminating the leaves underfoot. Leaf scuffed her sneaker through them and tilted her head back to look up into the trees.

"Don't you think this time of year is just beautiful?"

Blue snorted beside her. "I'm a man. We don't use words like 'beautiful'."

She pulled a face at him. "So what would you say, then?"

He shrugged, smiling lazily. "It's all right."

"All right?" Leaf repeated, unimpressed. "God, men are boring."

Without warning, he stooped and scooped up an armful of wet leaves, throwing them in her face.

Leaf shrieked, swiping leaves from her hair and collar furiously. "What was that for?"

"Boring, was it?" he goaded, flashing a quick-fox grin.

She narrowed her eyes, easily baited, then bent down. He'd darted off before she'd even straightened, and with an indignant "Hey! Not fair – I get a free pass at you!" she chased him across the dewy grass. It went on for a good few minutes, the two of them running around and laughing like kids, throwing and kicking leaves at each other until they were heaving for breath, cheeks flushed and eyes bright.

"Truce," Blue finally panted, offering up his hands in peace. His hair was all over the place, several leaves poking out of his coat collar. "I'm not as fit as I used to be."

"You're telling _me_," Leaf quipped, smacking his imaginary belly cheekily. She was still grinning when he suddenly slung an arm round her shoulders and dragged her close, smushing a handful of leaves in her hair. She squealed and protested, but she was too tired to properly fight back. Leaves dropped from her hair as they strolled back to the car.

"Wait," Blue said, before she opened the door. He turned her shoulders and began efficiently de-leafing her, his expression concentrated. She yelped when he accidentally snagged a knot in her hair, and he grinned apologetically, gently plucking a rogue leaf from where it had stubbornly glued itself to her cheek. The pout faded from her lips as she stared at him in astonishment.

How had she not noticed how good-looking he was before? Well – okay – she'd known for a long time that he was (unfairly) genetically blessed. She wasn't even going to try and deny that. But he looked really _good _when he smiled like that – so free and openly. No, he looked better than good. He looked great. Why didn't he smile like that more often? Her heart gave a funny little squeeze.

The silence was just that split-second too long. Leaf quickly dropped her eyes, feeling very confused and strangely guilty. But of course – she was getting married. Surely there was some kind of unspoken law now about finding other men attractive. Not that she was really betraying Red, was she? Could she even call it that?

And not that she actually thought Blue was attractive.

"Uh, Leaf?" Blue's voice sliced through the tangled web in her brain. She glanced up, hoping she wasn't blushing. He was giving her a strange look, a mixture of concern and confusion. "Everything okay in there?"

He rapped his knuckle pointedly against her head.

She laughed, swatting him off. "Of course. I was just thinking about the wedding."

For whatever reason, it was the wrong thing to say. The fragile moment was savagely ruined. Blue shoved his hands in his pockets, his eyes light and casual to match his tone of voice. Both were fabricated, painfully phony in comparison to how magically natural he'd been just a second ago. "Ah. Better not let it slip your mind for too long; you don't want to forget about it."

He intended for it to be a joke; even offered an accompanying smile. But somehow, Leaf couldn't bring herself to find it amusing. She didn't even smile a little bit, and they quickly busied themselves with getting into the car.

The drive home was noticeably quieter.

* * *

"Blue!" she bleats, reaching for his arm. "Wait!"

He pauses, turning back as she grabs for the handle to stop him. "Give me one good reason to stick around, Leaf – just one. Any'll do."

He looks her straight in the eye, waiting. His mouth is a rigid line, his expression firm and unforgiving.

Her hand falls back to her side. She falters helplessly, all the cheesy answers he's hoping for curling to the tip of her tongue:

_I don't want you to go. _

_I need you. _

_I love you._

She's not brave enough to voice any of them. His lip curls in bitter triumph. "That's what I thought."

He steps outside, pulling the door behind him. At the last moment, he glances back stiffly, his eyes horribly and heartbreakingly detached. "For the record, you were never going to be a Thursday."

He gives her an agonisingly disappointed look, and shuts the door firmly in her face.

* * *

"And the invitations match the name cards! It's so cute!" Leaf babbled, digging in her handbag for the envelope containing the samples she'd collected with Blue. "They've both got the little golden strips of glittery ribbon along the sides – wait a sec, I've got them here somewhere…"

"_Leaf_," Red sighed exhaustedly. "An invitation is an invitation. I'm sure whatever you've picked is fine. You don't have to show me."

Leaf's heart sank. "But… don't you want to see?"

He smiled faintly. "Quite frankly, I don't really care whether we get married on the beach, or in a church, or even just down at the town hall with no-one else there. And I couldn't care less about invitations, name cards – any of that stuff." He took her face in his hands, his gaze imploring. "I just want _you_. If we're married at the end of the wedding, I'll be happy. That's all that matters to me."

She forced a smile of understanding. He planted a kiss on her forehead, rubbed his hands over her shoulders, then stepped away. "I'm gonna jump under the shower; I'm exhausted."

For a few minutes, Leaf stood in the silence with a heavy heart. Why was she bothering if he didn't even care? Maybe they should just go down to the stupid town hall right now and get it over with. That'd teach him.

She took a deep breath, forcefully quieting the hot anger bubbling in her chest. Then she straightened her shoulders. Tomorrow she was going to try wedding cakes with Blue, and it was going to be fun. And then she was going to start looking at dresses, and that would also be fun. And in the long run, Red would actually appreciate all the effort she was going to, because it would be a truly beautiful wedding and they would have a _perfect _day. And he'd realise then that it would have been a shame not to make it special.

Reassured, Leaf smiled to herself and skipped off to find the flyers for the bakeries she'd be visiting tomorrow.

* * *

It doesn't even take two seconds of heavy, cold silence for Leaf to realise she's made a terrible mistake. The moment he stepped over her threshold he took their friendship with him, and this time she knows there's no earning it back.

_Friendship._ _Who am I kidding? _She groans inwardly. _When are you going to stop lying to yourself? This hasn't been about friendship for a long time – and now, thanks to you, he's gone. You just let him walk out of your life. You stupid coward._

She stifles a tiny sob as the crushing reality washes through her veins like ice. He's gone. For good. He was right where she wanted him, and she let him slip through her fingers.

_You really are the idiot after all, Leaf._

* * *

"Ooh, this one's cute!" Leaf gushed as they pushed open the door. A little bell tinkled merrily overhead, announcing their arrival. The front was all windows with pastel floral drapes tied aside, and it was bright and cheerful inside. She clapped her hands together, delighted by the cream-clothed tables and the shelves of home-made jam. "I love it already!"

"You said that about the last three," Blue muttered, staring around dubiously. "It's like the country kitchen of the great aunt I'm glad I never had."

"Oh, shush," Leaf snapped good-naturedly. She was in too high spirits to be annoyed with him today, even though he'd grouched in every bakery so far.

"As long as no-one sees me in here," he retorted, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Who are you expecting to bump into?" Leaf demanded as a pleasant-faced old woman emerged from a room out back and spotted them. They weaved toward the counter through the tables.

"Anybody," Blue replied cryptically.

She just rolled her eyes and greeted the old lady with a wide smile.

"Morning, dearie," the woman said. "What can I get for you?"

"Actually," Leaf replied, "We have an appointment at twelve-fifteen. To look at wedding cakes?"

"Oh," the old woman uttered, and produced an A4 planner from near the till. She flicked through it, running one gnarled finger down the page until she came to a stop. "Oh, yes. You must be… Leaf?"

Leaf smiled. "That's me."

"Take a seat, dearie – any of the tables is fine," the woman gestured loosely. "I'll bring some of the cakes out."

She hobbled off.

"She could be my gramps' grams," Blue commented under his breath. "How old do you think she is? Do you think she remembers the prehistoric age?"

Leaf grinned, elbowing his ribs. "Be nice. She's sweet."

"Bet her cakes are sweeter," he shot back, leaning round her to ogle the display fridge. An assortment of freshly-baked pastries were arranged on glass stands, looking mighty appetising. Leaf's mouth watered.

A noise out the back interrupted their drooling, and Leaf snagged Blue's sleeve and dragged him to the closest table. They were seating themselves when a younger woman appeared, her arms laden with small boxes.

She smiled in friendly greeting, and the resemblance to the older woman was instant. "Hi. I'm Deirdre – sorry about my grandma. She's supposed to let me take care of the register."

"That's okay," Leaf replied. "She was perfectly lovely."

Deirdre – who looked to be in her early thirties – gave her a knowing look. "She can be a little crabby sometimes. She gets less personable as she gets older."

"She really was fine," Leaf said earnestly.

Deirdre didn't look reassured. "Well, I hope so. Anyway, welcome to Mrs. Crabapple's Bakery." She mimicked a little ta-da with her hands and laughed. "Before we start, did you have some sort of idea of what you were thinking of going with?"

"Not really," Leaf replied apologetically. "We were just going to try them all and sort of… pick our favourite, I guess."

"And by 'our' she means 'her', of course," Blue added lazily.

Deirdre grinned. "Not a problem. It's more fun that way. Everyone needs a little spontaneity in their lives." She winked at Leaf across the round table, dusted her fingers on her apron, and began opening the cardboard boxes. "Now, this one's a French vanilla sponge with vanilla frosting and sugar pearls. And this one's a marble cake with chocolate frosting and vanilla swirls – but it can have vanilla frosting if you'd prefer. And _that_ one's…"

Before long, there were about a dozen boxes strewn across the surrounding tables. Leaf watched Blue chew contemplatively on a morsel of chocolate fudge dream cake with choc-bits, dark chocolate frosting and fresh strawberry halves on little beds of whipped cream.

"Thoughts?" she asked after a few moments.

He cocked his head thoughtfully. "It's very rich."

"Hmm," she hmm'd, frowning slightly. "Not everyone likes chocolate. It might be too rich. But it's such a pretty cake…"

"I like it." Blue shrugged.

"Good," Leaf laughed, rolling her eyes. "Then you're in charge of eating all the leftover pieces on the day."

"Bring it on," he replied challengingly, with a wicked grin.

"You have frosting all over your face, you grot," she laughed, swiping at his cheek with a checked napkin. He squirmed away, cheeks reddening, and before she knew it he had a piece of chocolate fudge dream in one hand and was grabbing her head in the other. She protested and he took the opportunity to shove the cake in her gob.

"Blue!" Leaf cried, but it sounded more like "Mmnloo!" through the mouthful of chocolate. She pierced him with a glare but he just laughed, dusting his hands off.

"Now finish your dinner or you won't get any dessert," he joked. Deirdre's laugh broke into the moment and they both looked around. Unbeknownst to them, she'd been watching from behind the counter. Now she was smiling broadly, a twinkle in her eye.

"It's nice you're having fun," she said. "Most people who come to look at wedding cakes are just stressed to the max. It's refreshing how relaxed you are. When's the big day?"

Leaf chewed furiously, trying to answer.

"Don't kill yourself," Blue remarked dryly. "I have a mouth and a voice box, and both work perfectly fine." He turned to Deirdre. "May twenty-five."

"A spring wedding," Deirdre sighed in approval. "How romantic." She was wistful for a moment, her gaze somewhere far-off. Then she came back to earth and smiled again. "Well, you two look very happy. I'm sure it'll be a beautiful day."

Leaf gagged on her cake. Blue jerked, slamming his fingers against the lip of the table and knocking his fork to the floor. They glanced wide-eyed at each other, promptly flushed, and looked away twice as fast. Deirdre simply looked appropriately alarmed/stunned/concerned.

Coughing and spluttering, Leaf chased the wad of chocolate cake down with some water and said, "We're not – he's not – I'm marrying someone else."

"Oh." Deirdre looked confused, then embarrassed. "I'm so sorry. I just assumed he was your fiancée."

Leaf laughed nervously. "No, he's the maid of honour." To diffuse the intense awkwardness, she forced a grin and punched his shoulder. "This guy'll probably never get married. Right, Mr. Eligible Bachelor?"

Blue gave her a surprisingly sharp look, then said sort of curtly, "That's right. Commitment's not really my thing."

Deirdre laughed uncomfortably.

"We'll go with the French vanilla sponge," Leaf said quickly, feeling like the little bakery was suddenly swelteringly hot and stuffy. "The one with the pearls?"

"Good choice," Deirdre agreed, writing it up on a post-it. "Let's make a time now to look at cake designs..."

The date was set for the following Wednesday, and they exchanged semi-awkward cheery farewells, then Leaf and Blue beat a hasty exit. They hurried up the street in silence. Leaf pulled her coat tighter round her as a chilly wind kicked leaves along the sidewalk.

"How embarrassing," Blue finally commented lazily. "Bet she felt like a right idiot."

"It was an easy enough mistake to make," Leaf replied diplomatically. "Normally it's the bride- and groom-to-be who do all this stuff together. We're just the weird exception."

He made a noise of agreement. They said little else, and for the rest of the afternoon she was paranoid that he was avoiding her eyes. But it must have just been her over-reactive imagination.

* * *

A couple of icy tears drip from her lashes, unnoticed, leaving slick trails down her pallid cheeks. The house is eerie and unfriendly around her, the silence cold and claustrophobic.

_It's not too late,_ she thinks desperately, heart pumping. _He won't be at his car yet…_

Her fingers twitch toward the doorknob, but she hesitates, pulse slamming in her ears. _He's expecting you to let him leave. That's what you always do: hide, give up. _But if she did what she always did, she'd regret it – maybe for the rest of her life. She'd never forgive herself for letting him walk away.

Her fingers close around the shiny handle, her face a mask of grim resolution. _Do it, Leaf. Man up. Do you really want to lose him like this? Would your stupid pride really be worth it?_

_No! _she answers in a mental shout. She smacks her forehead in frustration; she'd known it all along. Of course she had.

_So why did you just let him leave like that?_

She runs her fingers through her hair in exasperation.

_If you had one chance to make things right – for the rest of your life, _the sly voice in her head goes on, _would you take it? Even if it meant taking a huge step outside your comfort zone? Even if you had to feel really stupid?_

She doesn't even have to answer. Even if it's just for one night, she realises, she'd rather that than nothing at all. It'd be worth it.

_He'd _be worth it.

* * *

"Chocolate marshmallow magic?" Daisy asked, with a knowing smile.

Leaf looked up from the honeymoon photos, grinning across the quaint kitchen. "You still make those?"

Daisy laughed; her mane of golden ringlets bounced against her back. "Only for my favourite kids."

"Worst babysitter ever," Leaf said, rolling her eyes. "I don't think you're supposed to have favourites."

The kitchen filled with the sounds of the kettle boiling, Daisy clattering about making tea, and the TV playing adverts from the lounge room. After a few minutes during which Leaf flicked enviously through the glossy pictures of their tropical paradise, Daisy said, "It's been a while since you were here last, hasn't it?"

Leaf put the photos down, gazing round her neighbour's small house. The kitchen was an arrangement of soft yellows and creams, with flowery curtains at the window over the sink, and mis-matched cups and saucers lining the shelves. The little wooden table was set with odd cutlery and placemats, with a chipped little vase filled with friendly daffodils.

Aside from the flowers, which had obviously been picked recently, nothing had changed.

"Nothing's different," Leaf commented, earning another lovely laugh from her old babysitter. The Oak's cosy home would always be a place of warmth and safety, she realised. Everything about it was familiar and welcoming, from the idle tick-tock of the round-faced clock on the mantel in the lounge to the squealing of old Granna's kettle – which Daisy still stubbornly refused to replace.

_So many memories here_, Leaf thought nostalgically. How many summers had she spent here, fighting with Blue during imaginary games, then later video games; crying to Daisy when he took her things and hid them out of spite; baking pink-frosted "clefairy-cakes" and squeezing home-made lemonade on particularly hot days; sitting up late in middle school, watching Daisy's soapy dramas from the kitchen table and pretending to do her homework…

Somehow, even though her childhood was scarred by the ugly black mark of her mother's long illness, the overall recollection of her youth was a happy one. For that, she felt truly lucky, and she owed it all to Daisy and her huge heart.

"This place will never change," Daisy agreed cheerily, setting the mugs down. Leaf grinned at hers; she'd swirled a mountain of whipped cream on top, dusted it with sprinkles, and dropped marshmallows everywhere for a grand finale – just like she remembered.

"This drink," Leaf said fondly, "summarizes my childhood."

"And mine," Daisy replied. "Granna started them. Soon I'll be making them for my kids, and they'd better carry the tradition, or else!"

Leaf nearly spluttered whipped cream all over the table. "You're–?"

"Oh, no!" Daisy exclaimed hastily, fluttering her hands and blushing madly. "Goodness, not yet!" She tilted her head so the curls tumbled to one side, contemplative. "Mind you, if I was pregnant already, I can't honestly say I'd be unhappy."

Leaf set her mug down, licking cream from her upper lip. "Well, you _are _married now. It'd be perfectly legitimate. But don't you have things you want to do first?"

Daisy fingered the corner of a photo. "Not really. We've got to move my things into the new house, of course. And maybe we'll just be happy newlyweds for a while. But I think Nate's pretty keen to start our little family."

She smiled affectionately into her mug, and Leaf felt a pang of envy at how she seemed to positively radiate happiness. She wondered if Daisy had had as stressful a time organising her wedding as she was, and somehow couldn't imagine so.

Presently, Daisy tentatively caught her eye. "Speaking of family… the honeymoon actually wasn't the reason I invited you over today."

Leaf obediently pushed all the photos into a messy pile. She licked her lips, suddenly inexplicably nervous. She had an uneasy feeling about whatever Daisy was about to say.

"I'm concerned about Blue."

Leaf blinked in surprise. "Why?"

Daisy absently stroked the rim of her mug with one thumb. "He's been very distant lately. He's always liked to keep to himself, but he's been worse than usual for a while now. And I'm worried about his… habits."

She glanced up when she said it, and Leaf knew exactly what she was referring to. But surely she wasn't only just cottoning onto Blue's womanising ways now. "Er… I think it's a little bit late to try and give him advice…"

"I know," Daisy agreed, nodding. "And I'm not trying to make out like he's some poor, lost soul who needs guidance and direction – Blue's very headstrong, and he knows what he's doing. I'm not going to try and stop him. But…" She hesitated. "I worry that he's not happy."

Leaf fought a wry smile, biting back a snarky retort. "I think he's fine."

"For now, maybe," Daisy agreed. "But what about when he grows tired of this, and wants something serious? What if he can't break these habits?"

"Shouldn't that be up to him?" Leaf answered, raising one eyebrow.

Daisy gave her a pointed look. "If we leave it up to him, he'll just carry on like this and never face reality. He's very good at playing ignorant, and at convincing himself to believe whatever he wants, as long as it makes his life easier."

Leaf rested her chin on her hand. She couldn't exactly argue; Daisy was right, of course. But she didn't see what was wrong with the way Blue was. Well, of course she could – in her opinion Blue's behaviour was totally immature and self-centred – but the way he lived his life was his decision. It had nothing to do with her. Besides, he wasn't the sort of person who ever responded well to criticism.

The silence stretched. Finally Daisy said, "Don't you want him to be happy, Leaf? A _healthy _kind of happy?"

"Of course," she replied automatically. But she didn't add that she thought Daisy had no right to try and change who he was – especially if he didn't want it. Nor did she think Daisy was right to decide what was healthy for Blue and what wasn't. But maybe she was wrong. Maybe that was what being a sibling entitled you to. What did she know? For about the millionth time, she felt envious of Daisy and Blue having each other, and wondered what it was like.

_Maybe like my relationship with Red – before we dated._

She realised Daisy was waiting for her to speak, and pulled her thoughts together. What were they talking about again? Oh, right – Blue. And his happiness.

"Look, I understand where you're coming from," she began. "And I actually agree with you. I don't like what he's doing, either. But it's not exactly my place to interfere."

Daisy gave her a long look; one that was startlingly sharp – remarkably like one of Blue's – that pierced her to the core. "You've always been very important to him, Leaf. He's always trusted and respected you."

Leaf snorted ungracefully into her mug. "You're kidding, right?"

Daisy frowned heavily. "You know, deep down, that it's true. People come and go in his life, but you're the only one who's ever been constant. He's always made sure to keep you close."

Heat warmed Leaf's face; she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She was suddenly reminded of the astute look in Daisy's eyes when she'd watched them at the wedding, and became very nervous very quickly.

"Look, Daisy, you know I love your brother–"

"Yes," Daisy interrupted. "You do. And he cares about you. He'll never admit it to anyone, especially not me or you. But I know – and you know – he does." Daisy gave her an uncharacteristically hard stare. "If you really love him, how can you stand by and let him do this to himself?"

Leaf swallowed, feeling guilty. Daisy was winning. She was backing her into a corner, forcing her to see the truth in all its unpleasant glory, and leaving her with no choice but to consent to help.

She sighed, the fight sagging out of her. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing dramatic," Daisy assured her. "Just try and convince him to see one girl for a while – get him into a steady relationship. He'll listen to you – please try, Leaf."

When Leaf glanced up this time, Daisy's eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Feeling wretched and horribly uncomfortable about the whole thing, she nodded her agreement. She didn't know what made her feel worse: the highly likely prospect of her failing and letting Daisy down, that Blue would feel mighty betrayed if he found out she was conspiring against him with his sister, or that she'd been weak enough to get conned into it – against her better judgment – in the first place.

As she pulled her jacket on in the hall, Daisy said, "You know, I've always thought you two were perfect for each other."

Leaf rolled her eyes, trying to play it off as a joke. But there was something stubborn in Daisy's expression, and her efforts were wasted. Still, she replied lightly, "Of course you have; it'd be the perfect storyline for one of your sappy dramas. Shame it never actually happens in reality, right?"

She grinned and shut the door behind her. But she felt out-of-sorts for the rest of the day, and the alarming sincerity in Daisy's face bothered her for a long time afterward.

* * *

Without another thought, Leaf wrenches open the door and runs out into the snow, filled with nerves and fear, and a horrible, sickening feeling. What if he's already left? What if that was her one chance and she blew it?

"Blue!" she cries in anguish, panic closing her throat around her voice. She almost chokes on her own breath.

The snowy front garden is dark, empty and gut-wrenchingly silent, but she refuses to give up. She takes the steps with reckless haste and slips on the ice, her feet whisking out from beneath her. She yelps sharply in alarm and goes down hard on her butt.

* * *

The night Leaf visited _Enchantment _was remarkably cold and wet. The slick roads reflected the bright traffic lights in blurry coloured splodges. The sky overhead was sombre and overcast; the moon and stars were completely hidden from sight. It was a particularly miserable, depressing sort of evening, and her spirits were accordingly flat.

She stood at the pedestrian crossing, her eyes scouring the neon signs decorating the wall of buildings until she picked out the bar. As the walking man turned green, she pulled her coat tighter around herself, crossing the road briskly to join the long line of people waiting out front.

How long had Blue been working here? She couldn't even remember him telling her he'd gotten a new job – and at a club, of all places. She'd definitely have remembered that. Unless it had really been that long since she saw him last. Guilt kicked nastily in her stomach. She pushed Daisy's reprimanding voice to the back of her mind. She definitely wouldn't be impressed with how long it had taken Leaf to make good on her promise.

Fifteen minutes later, she was carded and being ushered inside. The back of her hand had been stamped with a melting red apple in a thin circle, and she glanced at it as she shoved her I.D. in her back pocket. The place was low-roofed and smoky, with dark red carpet and velvet sofas arranged around the walls, which were decorated with tastefully gilded mirrors. It was pretty big, with four separate areas (two of which were cordoned off by thick rope for VIPs), a wide dance floor of polished floorboards, and an old-fashioned wooden bar running the entire length of the back wall. Multi-coloured neon lights whirled every which-way, flashing off the mirrors and sparkling in the mirror ball above the dance floor.

And the place was _packed_.

Leaf pushed her way to the edge of the club, ignoring several hopeful sets of eyes following her, and rose on tip-toe in hopes of spotting Blue anywhere. It was nearly impossible to see anything over the heads of the crowd, and she was about to give up and leave when she finally caught a glimpse of familiar spiky reddish hair near the bar.

Actually, he was _behind_ the bar, which she realised when she finally managed to get close enough to it. He was working, pouring and mixing drinks for the people draping themselves impatiently over the counter, wearing nothing but a detachable bow-tie and a pair of smart black slacks. Leaf flushed. And not just from the overwhelming heat and stuffiness in the club.

She pushed into the crowd at the bar, working her way closer to where he was. By the time she got almost near enough, she'd been jostled so much that her hair was awry, her cheeks were rosy and her eyes shone bright with frustration. She grabbed the bar, practically gasping for breath, and clung on for dear life. _This_, she thought savagely, _is why I will never feel like a loser for not wanting to go to clubs._

"What're you drinking tonight?" a voice asked in her ear, and she turned sharply. A guy – older than her but young enough, probably – was leaning on the bar beside her, pressed uncomfortably close by the crowd and offering a smile that she couldn't help interpreting as more of a leer.

"I'm not," she shouted over the thumping music. He lowered his ear to her mouth. "I'm not drinking!"

He leaned back to survey her, raising one eyebrow. "Well, we can't have that. Pick your poison."

"What?"

He smiled with unmasked confidence. Clearly this guy thought he was Arceus' gift to women. "Let me buy you a drink."

She blushed even more – if that was possible – looking anywhere but at him. "Oh, no thanks! I'm fine!"

He touched her lower back subtly, but it felt like a hot iron poker burning her skin. She squirmed, trying to put some distance between them. Whichever way she inched, however, seemed to somehow bring him even closer. Before long, his fingers were curled round her waist, touching her hip. She felt like she was going to be sick.

"Kind of packed here, don't you think?" he said in her ear. She shuddered unpleasantly. "Let's go somewhere quieter."

He began to tug her away from the bar. She panicked. "Wait! No – I'm not–!"

"Hey!" a sharp voice interrupted. "Everything alright here?" She turned back to face her saviour; Blue was eyeing the guy suspiciously. Upon recognising her, his eyes widened. "_Leaf_? What are you doing here?"

The fingers dropped from her waist as the guy disappeared into the crowd. Leaf sighed with relief, grabbing the bar as she was jostled again. She threw her unsuspecting assailant a dirty look.

"Come down this way," Blue called. She pushed her way free from the crowd, skirting it to meet him at the end of the bar, where he was drying his hands on a cloth. When he spotted her, he tossed it lazily at the bench and pulled her aside, over near a glowing fridge stocked with pre-mixers.

"Are you alright?" he demanded, checking her over with his eyes. Leaf stared down at her hands, unable to look at the nakedness of his chest. She knew it was childish – she'd seen him half-clothed before, countless of times when she'd dropped in unexpectedly – but never in such close proximity. Besides, she _knew _it was an undeniably attractive chest. Quite frankly, she didn't trust her eyes not to betray her. And his ego definitely didn't need any more inflating.

"That guy didn't cause you any trouble?" Blue continued sharply.

Leaf shook her head. "I'm fine."

He paused. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you at your new job."

"I didn't think you'd actually come." He sounded incredulous.

Leaf folded her arms uncomfortably, still not looking up. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

Blue chuckled. "It's the uniform."

She shifted awkwardly, risking a glance up at him. "I'll go."

"No, stay," he blurted, then added hastily, "Since you're already here. You may as well. I can introduce you to some people." He gave her a cocky wink. "Sit here." He dragged a stool from behind the bar, smacking it as he strolled back around behind the counter. "You want a drink? I'll make you the house special. It's not bad."

He didn't even give her the chance to say no. She made herself comfortable, resting her elbows on the bar and watching the debauchery while she waited. Blue reappeared shortly, depositing before her a lethal-looking concoction of lime green and blood red. She eyed the martini glass dubiously.

"Poison Apple," he explained, wiggling his eyebrows. "Uh, maybe you'd better drink it slowly. Probably wouldn't take much to knock you out."

"Hey!" she objected, but he was already moving off along the bar, calling to someone. She caught the tail end of what sounded like "Keep her company" before she lost sight of him.

The next second, someone was sliding round the bar beside her. Someone tiny, female, and dressed like an incredibly sexy version of Snow White. She was a pale little thing, with shocking black tresses in thick voluminous waves, and huge, impossibly blue eyes. Her delicate mouth offered a friendly smile. She was astonishingly pretty.

"Hi!" she greeted brightly. "You must be Leaf? I'm Polly!"

She smiled again, and Leaf noticed her nose crinkled. She shook the tiny, proffered hand, offering a nervous little smile in return. "Hi."

"You're Blue's friend, right?" Polly clarified. "He said you haven't been here before. What do you think of the whole dark-fairytale theme? Cool, huh?"

"Yeah," Leaf agreed weakly. "It's pretty cool."

She glanced surreptitiously along the bar, but Blue was busy making drinks. A couple of guys who passed by whistled and smacked Polly's butt appreciatively. She promptly turned, mock-appalled, to banter coquettishly with them until they moved off.

Leaf was appropriately impressed. "You don't feel uncomfortable?"

Polly laughed. "A girl's body is her greatest weapon. You just gotta learn how to use it properly." She winked playfully. "How's your Poison Apple? Blue mixes a wicked cocktail."

"Oh, it's… um, yeah, delicious." Leaf hastily picked up the glass, sloshing a little over the lip and raising it awkwardly like a toast. If Polly thought she was weird, she didn't show it. She chattered away pleasantly until Blue suddenly appeared before them and she broke off abruptly with a quick little grin.

"We were just talking about you."

Actually, Leaf had absolutely no idea what they'd been talking about. She'd been hardly listening. She sought Blue's eyes in a silent plea for help.

Blue, however, was smirking at Polly. "I feel like I should be worried."

"With looks like yours and that killer ego," Polly taunted playfully, "it's us girls who should be worried, right, Leaf?"

She nudged her and Leaf promptly agreed, blushing madly.

They passed flirtatious banter back and forth for a bit, then Polly tossed her fantastic locks over her shoulder, whipped up a round serving tray and declared, "Well, now that you're here I should probably do some actual work. Nice to meet you, Leaf." With a final smouldering wink at Blue, she slipped off easily into the crowd.

Leaf glanced up at Blue, but he was following Polly with his eyes. She recognised the predatory look in his expression, and rolled her eyes, something unpleasant bubbling in the pit of her stomach – probably leftover guilt from her secret conspiracy with Daisy.

"Don't even bother. She respects herself way too much."

Now he looked at her. He flashed a daredevil grin. "I like a challenge."

He kicked his eyebrows suggestively at her, tossed a final contemplative look in the direction Polly had disappeared, and headed back to work, leaving Leaf feeling oddly annoyed, strangely hollow, and like she should dislike Polly intensely for reasons she couldn't even begin to explain to herself.

* * *

**To be concluded…**


End file.
